Sitting on a bench
by Arawn D. Draven
Summary: Some stories start in the most average ways, and this was no exception. How would things change if a certain Devil shared a bench with a certain green-eyed wizard after a hard day of school? Rated M for safety and mature content in second part.
1. Chapter 1

**And here I am again, this time with another short story! For those wondering if I'm working on the next chapter of the Bloody Ashikabi, I have yet to start the next chapter, as I am trying to put down my ideas for the story and to order them. I have lots of ideas, fortunately, but I need to do this if I wish to write the best chapters possible, so please bear with me.**

 **Now, this is another Harry Potterx DxD story, mainly because I find the verse very interesting. It's a bit sad it has been reduced to the story of a pervert making his way through the supernatural world, but I don't own it, so I can't really complain.**

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 **I don't own Harry Potter or Highschool DxD**

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 **Sitting on a bench**

 **Part I**

The first time Koneko Toujou met Harry James Potter, she was not really impressed. She had spent a long day at Kuoh, having to put up with the desperate leering of the Perverted Trio, her Devil senses allowing her to hear every single one of their words. Every. Single. One. She could honestly say that it was a very good way to learn how to control her temper, as even her emotionless mask came close to cracking whenever they had one of their "debates". Even more so when they lamented her lack of breasts. She was a growing girl, they'd come out eventually, but it wasn't her fault she was a late bloomer!

Anyway, after such a day, she went to do what she did whenever she wanted to relax: she took a walk to her secret spot, a nice place in one Kuoh's parks, hidden nicely by the trees and allowing for complete peace since most people didn't even seem to realize there was a bench there. It was the perfect place, a nicely hidden clearing with a bench under a single tree allowing for some very enjoyable shade during the summer, and a small pond. She loved being there, because even if she didn't use Senjutsu, the place made her feel at peace.

It also allowed her to avoid her fans, for many knew about the "mascot" of Kuoh Academy. As a fifteen years old, Koneko was rather small, and underdeveloped in some areas, which, coupled with her cool behavior and white hair cut in a bob, had her considered as "moe". She had nothing against _some_ popularity, but the amount of perverts staring at her with less than pure intentions was _not_ something she appreciated.

Which was why she twitched when she realized that someone was sitting on _her_ bench. While not as territorial as a true cat, as a member of the Nekoshou, the strongest breed of Nekomata, she was somewhat instinctively possessive about what she considered _hers_. For instance, everyone at Kuoh had quickly learnt to avoid trying to steal even _one_ of her sweets, as she would notice, and take revenge for it, that is, _if_ they even managed to eat said sweets, more often than not she caught them before they could even do so.

So, after a long day, she was understandably less than thrilled to see that _her_ spot was taken. Fortunately, it seemed that there was still some place left on the bench, and she made sure to sit on her bench as far as possible from the newcomer.

She was about to bite into one of the cakes she had saved for that evening, when a delicious smell tickled her sensitive nose, making her almost mechanically turn her head to stare at the person sitting only two feet away from her.

Now that she could see him clearly, she had to fight a blush from showing on her face. The person sitting next to her was a teenager, probably around the ages of her Senpai, Rias and Akeno, meaning that he was likely either seventeen or eighteen. He had wild black hair which was somewhat tamed into a wild cut, giving him the look of someone who had just practiced a very intense physical activity and ended with tousled hair. His face though, was the most striking one she had ever seen, and she had been around some Devils who could have easily passed for royalty. The teen's face was soft, with aristocratic curves, which gave him a somewhat androgynous look, although not to the point he would be mistaken for a female, and _definitively_ not to the point of it being effeminate. He was neatly shaved, and her sensitive nose could pick the last remains of his aftershave, a musk that strangely tickled her sensitive nose. But the most striking feature of all this person were his eyes, deep, _deep_ green pools currently staring absentmindedly at the pond in front of the bench, while he munched on a scone.

She was used to be around handsome men, after all Rias' brother _was_ handsome himself, and Kiba was definitively in the "pretty boy" category. But this teen, for some reason, seemed different. While Sirzechs, Rias' brother, was not just some pretty face, he was also an expert at hiding the true depths of his personality, instead appearing like a laid-back, goofy sis-con. The teen though, she could tell that _something_ had happened to him. Perhaps it was the reason of her interest, as she herself had more than enough baggage to be leery of ever opening up to a member of the opposite gender. She couldn't explain it, but she somehow _knew_ that whatever the young man next to her was thinking about was much, _much_ different than the petty problems the other boys she knew whined about. And it made him more interesting in her eyes.

Then his face turned and she got an eyeful of the deep green of his irises, and she realized that she had been staring for a while, making her blush and avert her eyes.

"Oh, hello."

She almost quirked an eyebrow. English? _That_ was unusual. While he didn't look like an Asian, it wouldn't be the first time she dealt with Caucasian looking people who could speak Japanese.

Then the teen had realized that he hadn't spoken the native language, and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, like an embarrassed child, an action that she personally found very cute. It proved that he was at least humble enough to realize he had committed a blunder, and acknowledge it. It also pointed to the fact that he didn't like attracting attention, but she could hardly point fingers.

" _Sorry,_ " he tried again.

She kept staring at him. Or, more precisely, at the divine smelling scone in his hand. Due to the fact that Rias was somewhat stingy when it came to giving out money (although she made sure that all her Peerage members had enough to live comfortably, she never gave them enough to truly splurge), she had always been forced to stick to Japanese sweets, outside of the few events she had attended in the Underworld. And by Lucifer, the scone the teen was holding smelled better than anything she had tasted in those gatherings.

" _Do you want some_?"

She blinked, her eyes coming up to stare at the young man's face to see if he was joking, but all she could see was a genuine smile as he offered her, not the half-eaten scone in his hand, but a _complete_ one, who smelled as if it had just come out of the oven. Before she could even realize what was happening, her instincts had kicked in and she had grabbed the pastry, munching it so fast it seemed she was inhaling it, before greedily licking her fingers to taste the last remnants of the sweet treat, almost purring in contentment at the heavenly aroma.

Then a chuckle made her snap out of her blissful state, and she realized that she hadn't even properly thanked the young man, so she gave him a grateful nod.

" _Sorry,"_ She said, her monotone showing the slightest hints of sheepishness.

" _It's all right. I can share,_ " Smiled the teen.

The rather awkward silence that had been between them broken, Koneko relaxed a bit. She had already checked, just in case, to see if person in front of her was in any way supernatural, and what she got from him was enough for her to know that he was not a Fallen Angel, an Exorcist, or even a Mage, nor any other of the species she could think of. While it would have been surprising, she wouldn't put it past some of her enemies to try and trick her this way.

" _Potter Harry,"_ smiled the young man, giving her a short bow.

Blinking, she realized that he had just introduced himself, and she flushed when she realized that she had yet to introduce herself. While not one to bother with most social niceties, she _could_ at the very least introduce herself. To know that her stomach had made her forget about it was deathly embarrassing, especially in front of a complete stranger. Had it been at school, at least there would have been the passing familiarity with the person, and they likely wouldn't have held it against her either due to her status as Kuoh's mascot.

" _Toujou Koneko_ ,"she bowed, before returning to the scone.

She had to admit, no matter how many of Potter's scones she ate, they were all excellent, probably on par with the best Japanese pastries she had eaten. She was also pleasantly surprised when her companion didn't try to speak overly much to avoid the silence, instead exchanging some light chatter with her, and not being bothered with her short answers, which she knew tended to disturb most people who didn't know her very well.

Which was why when he pointed out it was starting to get dark, and offered to accompany her back to her neighborhood, she didn't mind, having found the whole experience rather enjoyable. She was also a bit surprised that he was well-mannered enough to escort her back to the general area where she lived, in this day and age most men didn't bother with such niceties. And she would not admit it, but she was also flattered. She could tell that he was actually seriously thinking about her wellbeing, instead of trying to hit on her.

 **-Break-**

From there on, she met with Harry several more times, each of them at what had quickly become _their_ spot. It seemed he had found the light conversations with her enjoyable too, and each time he brought some sweets, though none of them were Japanese, which was a boon for her sweet tooth as she became able to enjoy a variety of snacks she couldn't have back at the Occult club.

She found that Harry was British, from an old and rather well-off family, as well as an orphan, his parents having died shortly after his birth. Surprisingly, she found herself opening up to her "snack-time companion", as she found that despite being only a few years older than her, Harry was actually very wise and gave good advice. He was also something of a prankster, something made clear by his suggestions to deal with the antics of the Perverted Trio. She didn't think that they would _ever_ be able to get rid of the photos of them dressed as girls leaked on the Internet by a vengeful Kendo Club, or the videos of them admitting to their perverted antics. The memory was enough to make her small a little, which was no small feat.

Soon, she found herself genuinely looking forwards to the times she spent with him, no longer because he brought snacks (although it was a bonus), but because she genuinely enjoyed his presence. Whenever she was having a bad day, he would be able to make her bad moods vanish with a few stories about his friends and the mishaps they got up to when they were her age, or a few pats on the head. Koneko came to love spending time with him, as it made her feel _normal_ , not a Devil in the service of the little sister of the Underworld's leader, not a school mascot constantly hounded by other students who wanted to stare at her like some kind of circus animal, but just her, Koneko Toujou, a fifteen years old girl with a passion for sweets.

However, not everything was easy, as she sometimes had trouble to manage her duties as a Devil while also having a normal life, and having to make time for regular meetings with someone _outside_ of her school hours was not exactly easy. Nor was concealing the fact that she was much stronger than she looked, and could likely snap Harry in two should she actually want to. It was almost ridiculous to think that she, a girl barely five feet tall and looking as if anyone would be able to walk over her, was actually strong enough to lift cars with ease, or snap a regular human in two with little trouble. The fact that she wanted to hide her association with Harry from her friends, if only to avoid having them spy on her meetings with him, which she considered private, also made things rather hard for her.

It was after a particularly stressful day that she met with Harry once more, the older teen sitting on the bench with what appeared to be éclairs just waiting for her, that she realized that he might be more than just the good friend that she had come to consider him as. The moment he had seen her, he had delicately, but firmly, place her in his lap, and it was only because she could see that the action was in no way purposely perverted or possessive that she didn't slap him by reflex. Before she could ask what he was doing, he had handed her the éclairs, and had begun massaging her stiff shoulders, making her melt as he gently rubbed the stiffness out of her back. The action was reducing her to a purring piece of goo as she sleepily munched the sweet treats, her eyes half-closed with contentment at the action Harry was taking.

In her daze, she managed to mumble:

" _Harry-kun, what…?"_

" _More eating, less complaining, neko-chan,"_ Chuckled the teen, silencing the white-haired girl's protests by working on a particularly dense knot in her back.

Thus, they continued in a companionable silence, only broken by the occasional moans from Koneko when Harry managed to work out a particularly dense kink, and before long, she had eaten all the éclairs, making sure to lick her fingers to no waste a single piece of sweet delight. She found herself leaning in his chest, utterly relaxed, and with her stomach full, leaving her feeling better than she had in a long time.

The feeling was…enjoyable, for the usually solitary Koneko, as while she had friends in the other members of the Occult Club, as well as in the Student Council, she made sure to keep everyone at arm's length, to keep a distance. Yet with Harry…it was as if it didn't matter, as if she didn't _want_ to keep a distance between them. For the first time since her sister had betrayed her and left her to die, she felt as if she was completely _safe_ , protected, as she snuggled deeper in Harry's chest, inhaling his scent, her sharp nose catching the musky fragrance coming from him, a mix of wilderness, forests, and grass.

" _Nyaaa…"_ she sleepily moaned, clutching the fabric of her companion's shirt and settling in a comfortable position, like a cat curling for a nap, before blacking out and drifting to sleep, helped by the hand softly rubbing her head.

 **-Break-**

The next day found Koneko sleepily waking up in a bed she didn't recognize, a bed much bigger than the one she was used to, which immediately put on her on edge, as she jumped out of the piece of furniture as if it had burnt her. Looking around, she realized that she was in a room, most likely a boy's room as it lacked the feminine touch of a woman. While comfortable, the room wasn't overly lavish, like she was used to see in the Underworld's mansions and villas, but it was certainly neat and well-cleaned. Her eyes caught several photographs on a small shrine at the back of the room, and thanks to her Devil senses, she could see them as if she was right next to them in the middle of the day.

The first photo was of a couple, a beautiful woman with red hair and the same green eyes as Harry, who was laughing and leaning on a man who resembled her friend so much that he couldn't be anyone else but his father. She realized that it was a photo of his deceased parents, and she felt a stab of pain at the knowledge that Harry had no memories of them, just as she did not her own.

The next photo was of an emaciated, and slightly haggard-looking man, but there was no denying that he was handsome, even if he would have looked better with a few more pounds of flesh on his bones. With black hair elegantly swept back in a wild style, he looked like some kind of mad rocker, the wide grin on his face not helping the comparison. She recognized Sirius Black, whom Harry had told her about with nothing but fondness and regret. She knew he had died a few years back, and that Harry had been present at the time, which made her sad for him.

The last photo was of another couple, the male a middle-aged man with prematurely graying hair and frayed clothing, looking as if he just barely managed to scrape together what he needed to live, while the woman was younger than him by a good decade, looking as if she was in her mid-twenties at most, with deep purple hair and clad in clothing that wouldn't be out of place in a punk band. Those she did not know, but she could tell that if their photo was on the altar, that they were likely people close to Harry as well, since he seemed to have brought her back to his home when she was asleep.

She blushed a bit at this. She had never been in a boy's room, let alone the one of someone as close to her as Harry, and her traitorous mind did not miss the implications that the situation had. Even if her mind knew that Harry didn't know where exactly she lived, and thus had no way to bring her back to her own flat, it didn't mean that it could process it.

 _I'm in Harry-kun's house…in his house…_

It was fortunate that she was very gifted at controlling her emotions, as otherwise she would have squealed in embarrassment right then and there, as she realized just _what_ had happened.

 _I fell asleep in Harry-kun's lap…And he brought me to his home…Like a boyfriend worried about his girlfriend…_

Now, Koneko might be emotionally stunted, that didn't mean that she didn't feel anything, or, that as a teenage girl, she had never had fantasies about boys. It was just much rarer for her than for the average teenage girl, but it did happen. And to be honest, Harry was probably the male she was the closest to, and whom she had the most reasons to be interested in. So, now that her mind had drifted to that kind of thoughts, she wondered. What were they, Harry and her? Acquaintances? They were clearly more than that, given how often they met, and how much they talked. Friends? True, she considered Harry a friend, and she was pretty sure that he saw her much the same way, but there was a closeness to their relationship that "just friends" didn't have.

She blushed. In fact, she was pretty sure that what they did, meeting together, talking, and more recently, cuddling, was the kind of thing only done by couples. Was this why she didn't want her friends finding out? Because she was beginning to think about Harry _that_ way, and that she was afraid that her friends, if they became aware of their meetings, would undoubtedly make the situation uncomfortable? She couldn't deny that the thought of Rias or Akeno finding out displeased her greatly, both because she knew that they would pay _far_ too much attention to Harry for it to be healthy out of concern for her, which, while not badly intended, would likely irritate her very much, but also because she knew that as a female, she simply couldn't compare to the bodies of her upperclassmen. She was perfectly aware that boys loved breasts, it was a fact, and at fifteen, she barely had any, much to her chagrin, while both Rias and Akeno had the biggest breasts she had ever seen in a woman. She was thus perfectly convinced that whenever they were around, no male would be interested in her, and those few who did would undoubtedly be pedophiles, as painful for her pride as it was to admit.

Try as she might, she could not repress a surge of anger at the idea of her two friends "taking away" Harry from her. Harry was _hers_. _She_ had met him first, _she_ was the one who knew him the best, _she_ was the one who cared for him! She was the only one allowed to eat the sweets he homemade for her, and she would fight to the death before letting some big-breasted women take Harry and his cooking away from her, even if they were her friends! She-

She froze. Had she just admitted that she loved Harry? It certainly sounded like that to her. Looking around, she was glad to see that her friend was nowhere in sight, and thus wasn't there to see the blush that lit up her face when the realization hit her. Oh dear Lucifer. She was in love with Harry Potter. The thought made her lightheaded for a moment.

Shaking her head to clear it from the traitorous thoughts, she decided, after looking at the clock, that she would need to hurry, as she had school in a little over an hour, and she wanted to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes before then. That, and it was _way_ too early to think on the revelation she had just had.

Carefully walking out of the room, her enhanced hearing picked up the light snores coming from the couch, and she couldn't fight back yet _another_ blush when she realized that Harry had been nice enough to leave her his bed, while he used the couch. That kind of attention was something she found very nice, and she resolved to find something to thank Harry for bringing back to his home instead of waking her up, as well as leaving her the bed.

Feeling a bit mischievous, she tiptoed until she had a clear view of her sleeping friend, and the sight made her heart flutter. In his sleep, Harry was smiling contentedly, curled on himself under a blanket, and looking perfectly at peace. The regular move of his shoulders told her that he was still deeply asleep, and she decided not to bother him, instead grabbing her bag, that he had apparently brought back with her, and wrote a quick note explaining that she had left for school, before putting it on the table in front of him.

Staring back at him one last time, her eyes ended on his lips, and she found herself slowly lowering herself over him, before blushing, and darting out of the apartment, blushing and cursing her thoughts for distracting her.

 **-Break-**

"Rias, don't you think something is…off, about Koneko, lately?" asked Akeno.

Akeno Himejima, the Occult Club's vice-president, was a beautiful teenage girl, there was no doubt about that. With a body more fit for a mature woman than a teenager, she had outrageous curves and a beautiful face, which always made people look at her with admiration, and in male's case, desire. Few knew her well, and those few who did felt privileged to know her, as she was very caring about her friends, although some of her quirks were not always welcome.

Her friend, Rias Gremory, had proportions just as outrageous, although where Akeno's hair was dark as night and worn in a ponytail that reached her feet, Rias' was crimson, and worn free, reaching her lower back. Both teens, due to their bodies and beauty, were known as the "Two Great Onee-samas" by the students of Kuoh, a title that made them the most popular students in school, and the reason why countless people had tried to integrate the Occult Club of Kuoh.

What nobody knew was that both young women were Devils, and that the Occult Club was actually a cover for Rias' Peerage, her Devil Servants, although instead of Servants, she saw each member as a member of her family, a trait her family, the Gremorys, were renowned for. Which was why Akeno's question, which would have been dismissed by most as the white-haired girl being in a phase of her puberty, was actually considered seriously by the redhead.

Nothing was truly _wrong_ , per se, about Koneko, but Rias had indeed noticed that the usually emotionless girl was being slightly more open recently, as well as unusually excited whenever she left the Academy at the end of the school day. There was also the fact that while she still ate them, she no longer wolfed Akeno's sugary treats down, instead munching on them with relish. It had slightly irritated the raven-haired beauty, as she prided herself on her cooking skills, but seeing that the white-haired teen still ate them with pleasure, she was not losing her touch. Instead, it was as if the secretive younger girl had found something that she loved better, and thus no longer enjoyed the treats as much as before.

"I'm not sure…" frowned the redhead, looking pensive, while she sipped on the tea her vice-president had just made. "She _has_ been acting strangely lately, even though she's been working hard to not make it affect her duties…"

"Perhaps she is seeing someone? Ufufu…Our little Koneko-chan is growing up, isn't she?" smiled the raven-haired teen, although there was something _dangerous_ in her smile. "Don't you think we should make sure that nobody is… _playing_ with her? Naughty boys must be punished, after all."

The redhead sighed, twirling her tea pensively. While she, like Akeno, was very protective of the youngest member of her Peerage, she didn't want to intrude in the teen's love life. Koneko was a very private person, even with her friends, and the trust between Rias and her had been grown over the years of taking care of the younger girl, meaning that she was loathe to endanger it by potentially disrupting the girl's relationship. _If_ she was in a relationship, that is.

Nonetheless, it was her duty as the King of the Peerage to make sure that Koneko was happy, and given the type of people who were usually attracted to lolis like the white-haired girl, she felt that it was best to at least know _what_ was affecting her, and, if she was indeed seeing someone, who that someone was. This way she could discreetly investigate the person, and make sure that they genuinely loved Koneko, and were not with her for less than noble reasons.

Her mind made up, she summoned her familiar, and told the small bat creature to follow the youngest member of her Peerage while keeping out of sight, and being _very_ discreet, since the girl's tracking abilities were the best amongst them, meaning that she would easily detect anyone spying on her. It was fortunate that familiars could camouflage their power and pass as normal animals, or else it would have been hard to use them for spying.

 **-Break-**

That evening, Koneko made her way to _their_ spot, her mind still trying to find a way to process the fact that she, in fact, _loved_ Harry. Her feelings aside, she had no idea on how to even begin to broach the subject with the object of her interest, as she had no prior experience, and felt far too insecure to simply say the truth. She didn't lack self-confidence in most areas, but she had always felt insecure about her looks since she had entered puberty. Where most girls got growth spurts and had noticeable breasts, she seemed doomed to forever look like a child, which made the very idea of a relationship incredibly awkward.

And she refused to let go of the _one_ boy she got interested in. Who knew how long it would take for her to feel as comfortable with someone from the opposite gender otherwise?

" _Hello, neko-chan,"_ smiled Harry, who was sat on the same bench she had met him on the first time.

He was rather simply dressed, with only a black blazer over a white button-up shirt with long sleeves, as well as jeans and simple, yet sturdy-looking shoes. She had always wondered what he did when she was at school, as he was too young to be living alone, since he was still a minor. She had not once seen him wear a uniform, so she knew that he didn't attend a school at least, but the notion was ludicrous to her. She knew humans were _very_ strict about studies, and he didn't look like someone who'd skip classes if he had any.

With a small nod, she sat down next to her love interest, pointedly avoiding to look at him, to take the time to collect her thoughts. She wanted to tell him about her discovered feelings, she wanted to tell him she wanted to date him, but sadly, she had no clue about how to go about it.

So pensive that she was, she didn't notice the look in Harry's eyes before he lifted her and plopped her in his lap, his hands coming to massage her scalp, something he had discovered calmed her greatly, although she doubted he was aware it was due to her nature as a Nekoshou, the sensation the same as someone giving her a very comfortable massage.

" _There you go, neko-chan,"_ came the voice of her companion, as some delicious looking sweets were put in front of her, her daze preventing her from identifying them as she grabbed them and begun munching on the little pieces of sweet happiness.

The combination of her scalp massage, as well as the sweets, were enough to reduce her to a purring piece of putty, snuggling contentedly in Harry's chest.

" _Nyaaa…"_ she moaned, " _I loooooveee yoouuuuu, Harryyyyyy…"_

The last bit, while slurred, was easily understandable, thankfully, due to her friend being literally right next to her. It wasn't until she realized he had stopped petting her that she processed what she had just blurted out in her delirious bliss, and her heart began hammering in her chest. She dared not look up at his face, afraid as she was to face rejection, but before her worry could grow into a full-blow panic attack, his petting resumed, and she felt the pressure of his head on her own.

" _Thank you, neko-chan,"_ he said, very quietly, and she was struck by how _grateful_ he sounded when he had spoken. " _I think I love you too."_

She felt her breath catch in her throat at his words, feeling as if she would burst with happiness at any moment. Not only had she _finally_ confessed, even if it hadn't been as she would have wanted, but she hadn't been rejected!

All her worries, like what she would do when she would have to reveal to him that she wasn't human, flew right through the window at the moment, replaced with pure bliss as she decided to bask in the feeling for the moment. Whatever obstacles to her happiness life had in store, they could wait. Right now, she was in Heaven (well, Hell, since she was a Devil), and she intended to enjoy every second of it.

 **-Break-**

Harry James Potter was used to life sending curve balls at him, because quite frankly, after the amount of shit life had thrown his way in his eighteen years of life, he had come to _expect_ it. Therefore, he had been quite aware that beginning a relationship with Koneko would come to bite him in the ass later, how he hadn't known, but he had known it would come. However, he had most certainly _not_ expected said curve ball to come in this form. He had expected angry fanboys, since from what she had told him, she had a fanclub, and he fully expected the lowest of the fans to stalk her, which was partly why he had had Hedwig keep an eye on his girlfriend.

Thus, he was understandably quite surprised when two _extremely_ good-looking girls knocked at the door of his flat one morning, both clad in the same uniforms as his girlfriend, only larger, to fit their… _assets_.

"Harry Potter?" asked the redhead, whom he noticed had spoken in English.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" he returned, having already an idea as to _who_ his guests were. After all, the descriptions Koneko had made of her friends were quite detailed.

"Can we come in?"

He frowned. The way she had voiced it, it sounded more of an order than a request for permission, and he didn't like it. He had been ordered around nearly his whole life, which had left him with a heavy dislike for people who thought they could tell him what to do, at least when he had no reason whatsoever to listen to them. The only reason he didn't slam the door at their face was because he had been raised to respect women, or at least had grown that way, he didn't think the Dursleys had _ever_ taught him anything.

Sighing, he looked at the redhead, whom he guessed to be Rias Gremory, right in the eyes. While not very tall, he was still slightly taller than her, which he was grateful for. Glaring at people when you were smaller than them tended to lose its intimidating effect.

"Not before introducing yourselves and telling me why you're here in the first place, no."

He could see a flash of surprise in the girl's eyes. Was she truly so used to getting things her way that she was surprised when she _didn't_ get her way?

"My apologies. I am Rias Gremory, and this is my friend, Akeno Himejima. As for the matter that brought us here, I must insist that we speak inside."

Sighing, he stepped aside, allowing the pair to walk past him. Closing the door, he led them to the living room, where he gestured to the sofa, while he took the lone armchair. He used the time to collect his thoughts, and ready himself for what was likely to be a long interrogation. From what Koneko told him, Rias was someone with the heart in the right place, but she was also incredibly stubborn, and, the white-haired loli had warned him, _extremely_ protective of the members of her club, whom she apparently viewed as her family. He knew the feeling, as he felt much the same for his Godson, which was, ironically, the very reason he was no longer in England. With things as they were, for the moment it was better for the toddler to not be associated with him.

"So, now that you've introduced yourself, _and_ insisted to speak to me in private, may I know just _what_ was so important that you felt the need to make sure nobody could eavesdrop on this conversation?" he asked.

His bluntness seemed to surprise the pair, whom, he had noticed, seemed to be surprised he had not been ogling them since they had come in. He could guess that with bodies like theirs, every male and their brother was drooling after them, but he had long since learnt that appearance meant little, even though he could still appreciate beauty when he saw it. And he was in a relationship, meaning that he felt that thinking about a woman who wasn't his girlfriend in that way was betraying her, hence why he avoided to ogle his two guests.

"Yes," coughed Rias, her surprised face leaving place to a very intense and searching look, "What is your relationship with Koneko Toujou?"

"She's my girlfriend," he answered easily. There was a distinct happiness in his tone, how could there not be? It was the very first time someone had told him they _loved_ him. Ginny, for all her claims, was more of an obsessive stalker than anything, something he suspected was partly due to her mother's bedtime stories and repeated claim that they would be the perfect couple. So to have someone tell him they loved him was marvelous, especially when it was Koneko. Not only did she have no knowledge of his reputation back home, meaning that she loved him for himself, and not his money, but she was also very enjoyable to be around when she opened up, and also happened to be very cute. What else could he ask for?

He did not miss the look shared by his guests. It seemed that they were unsure about what to do. Something just seemed… _fishy_. A lifetime of conflict had honed his instincts to the point of making them a sixth sense, and right now, said sense was telling him that something was decidedly out of place. His fingers twitched subtly, ready to summon his wand at a moment's notice. Others wouldn't be wary of two young women, but others hadn't spent their teenage years fighting for their lives, with everyone being a potential enemy.

"Very well. I will be frank: I do not think that this is a good idea. Trust me when I say this, nothing good will come out of this relationship, no matter how much you love each other. Koneko will most likely hate me for this, but I am doing this for your own good, both of you."

Before he could even move, he felt his body freeze up, as he grew drowsy.

 _What in Merlin's name…?!_

While different from the _Imperius_ , the feeling was eerily similar, as he felt a strong compulsion trying to worm his way into his brain.

 _Forget…_

 _Forget you met Koneko…_

 _Forget your feelings…_

 _You will remember nothing of your relationship…_

 _Nothing of Koneko Toujou…_

 _Nothing…_

 **-Break-**

Rias frowned. While not as good in using magic as, for example, Sona, she was still quite gifted with her magical powers, especially when it came down to something as simple as hypnosis. She had used such a thing to keep her most fervent admirers at bay whenever a talk wasn't enough, and a few times to get preferential treatment when she wanted a particular set of anime DVDs. Yet she had never met resistance at all, none of her targets ever able to resist the hypnosis.

So why was she straining now?!

It was as if this young man was aware of what was happening, and was fighting it with everything he had! She had to actually _focus_ on him to push the suggestion, and yet he was still fighting it!

Gritting her teeth, she focused more of her power on her suggestion, quite a bit impressed with the young man in front of her. It was clear that he cared very much for Koneko, if he was fighting her this much, and she was a bit ashamed to force him to forget about his girlfriend, but in the end, nothing good would come out of their relationship.

For one, Koneko was a Devil, and would live centuries, even millennia, while this young man, in a few decades, would be a shriveled old shell of what he once was. For two, involving a normal human, one with no Sacred Gear no less, in the supernatural world, was not something to be done lightly. Once done, it couldn't be undone, and more than once had a human made aware of the supernatural died a horrible death, either torn up by the powers their greed had them seek, or killed by one of the factions for no other reason than their allegiance to another side. She would not let her beloved Rook suffer through that kind of heartbreak, not after she had all but lost her emotions after what had happened with her sister.

"Rias?" tentatively asked Akeno, her friend apparently concerned with the beads of sweat that had begun trailing down her face as she tried to impose her will on the human in front of her, the human who was gritting his teeth and…was he beginning to _glare_ at her? That was impossible! That would mean…she gritted her teeth as she felt the beginnings of a migraine, that would mean he was actually fighting her off!

His nose was beginning to bleed, and his body was trembling violently, no doubt from the strain of fighting her, a task _way_ beyond the abilities of the average human, but he was actually _pushing her back_!

"Rias, that's enough, you're going to kill him!" shouted Akeno, looking more than a little concerned with the state Koneko's boyfriend was in.

With a pained grunt, she released her hold on him, as she panted for breath, her migraine making her heart pound in her ears. What was _that_?! She had never heard of a normal human resisting hypnosis, not to _that_ degree!

"What…" croaked the young man, making her start as she realized how bad his state was. His eyes were bloodshot, some of the vessels in them having burst, his skin was a pasty white, and he was bleeding from the nose. Obviously, fighting off her suggestion was not without a cost. "What…were…you…trying…to…?"

His last words were mumbled so low that even her enhanced hearing couldn't pick them up, the teen collapsing forwards, unconscious.

 **-Break-**

" _You_ what _?!"_

The voice of Koneko resounded strangely in the utterly silent clubroom, all the members of the Occult Club very silent as they all stared at the unconscious young man being treated by a fussing Asia, who was making distressed noises.

The meeting had been more or less forced, since Rias had needed Asia to heal Harry, as the damage done to his brain, if not quickly treated, might become permanent, and as reluctant as the redhead was to let her Rook know that she had tried to erase her boyfriend's memories, she knew the result would be much, _much_ worse if anything happened to him, because of her no less, and that she didn't tell her. She knew that if such a thing happened, it would destroy any trust Koneko had in her, and she refused to even think about such an outcome.

" _Koneko, I know you are angry with me, I understand that, but I only wanted the best for you. This relationship won't end well, and I don't want you to get hurt. I didn't think something like this would happen."_

Far from being placated, the younger teen only seemed to get angrier, her grip _pulverizing_ the armrest she had been gripping from where she sat, her eyes leaving Rias every few seconds to look at Harry, before she returned to glare at her King.

" _You…you tried to erase my_ boyfriend's _memories of me, and when he resisted, you almost destroyed his mind?! And you try to tell me it was because you wanted the best for me?!_ "

Rias, Akeno and Yuuto paled when two white cat ears suddenly appeared on the girl's head, while a white cat tail slithered out of her uniform. Koneko _loathed_ taking her natural form, to the point of them not having seen it more than a handful of times ever since she had joined Rias' Peerage. For her to revert to such a state showed just how angry she was, and the redhead suddenly felt her hopes of reconciling with the younger girl take a sharp dive.

" _A-ano, Koneko-san?"_ shyly asked Asia, the former nun using her Sacred Gear to heal Harry from the damage he had suffered.

" _What?"_

" _T-the damage is healed, but Twilight Healing tells me that Harry-san should be dead…"_ shyly said the blonde, looking afraid and heartbroken.

"... _What?"_ asked the Nekoshou, her eyes leaving her King to land on the Bishop.

" _A…ano, T-Twilight Healing lets me know what is wrong with the people I heal, and Harry-san's blood is apparently very toxic…"_ said the blonde, looking a bit confused. " _Something like a single drop of it being enough to kill a grown Devil…A-and the substance in his blood is everywhere in his body…"_

" _Asia, what do you mean?"_ asked Issei Hyoudou, a rather perverted brown-haired boy, who happened to be the possessor of the Sacred Gear, Boosted Gear, a weapon that would allow him, in time, to be able to even slay _Gods_. At the moment though, he was looking at Harry with clear concern.

" _She means that something must have contaminated his bloodstream, which in turn, allowed whatever poison was in his blood to permeate every organ and muscle in his body. What confuses me is that it shouldn't be possible. Something as lethal as you said, Asia-chan, should have killed him long before it could reach his muscles…"_ frowned Rias.

" _Who cares? Asia, can you heal him?"_ worriedly asked Issei.

The blonde shook her head sadly. It was easy to see that she was upset by that, the former nun was one of the most compassionate people anyone in the room had ever met, probably _the_ most compassionate one. Therefore, it came as little of a surprise that she was upset by her inability to heal someone, especially since he happened to be Koneko's boyfriend.

" _I…I can't…Sorry…"_

The blonde's sniffs were interrupted by a groan, Harry slowly waking up. Immediately, the Devils, outside of Koneko, moved to leave him some space as he blearily opened his eyes.

"Uuugggg…Did someone get the name of the Hippogriff who trampled me?"

In a heartbeat, Koneko was at his side, helping him sit with gentle hands, looking immensely relieved. Her white ears and tail also disappeared, as if never there in the first place.

" _Harry?"_ she asked, her voice cracking.

No matter how well the damage to his brain was healed, it didn't mean that what Rias had done would disappear so easily. For all she knew, what had happened had made him forget her completely, and made it permanent. If such was the case…

Instead of answering, the young man blearily stared at the white-haired loli, his eyes squinted, as if trying to recognize her. The other people present, more particularly Rias, held their breath, hoping that Harry would recognize the Rook. If by some stroke of bad luck he didn't, they knew that Koneko would be crushed, her earlier reaction having made it clear that she loved the teen very much, and that losing him would hurt her deeply. It would also likely create a rift between Rias and the Nekoshou, a rift that quite frankly they were unsure they would be able to mend.

"… _Koneko?"_ he eventually asked, and the white-haired girl sagged with relief.

" _Yes, it's me,"_ She smiled, shocking her fellow Peerage members, none of them having ever seen such a smile on the Rook's face, and Asia smiled when she saw the smaller girl gently take her boyfriend's hand in hers.

" _What happened?"_ he asked, his eyes still focused on the younger girl instead of roaming the room, as he tried to remember what had happened. By the way his eyes eventually widened, and that he turned to glare at her, Rias knew he remembered everything, although she gulped nervously at the sheer _hate_ and scorn in Harry's eyes when he looked at her.

" _You…"_ he all but snarled, " _You tried to erase my memory!_ "

At that moment, several things happened. First, those well attuned to their Devil senses felt a sudden spike of magic, just as all the room's windows exploded, and the expensive furniture seemed to come to life, floating and hitting the walls, shattering on impact. Second, Harry's eyes _glowed_ , actually glowed, the sickly green light quite eerie in the rather dark room.

His eyes never leaving Rias, he started to get up, undoubtedly ready to exact his revenge on her for trying to take away from him what he saw as precious memories, but before he could take a single step, a small hand dragged him back down, and he found his lap full of his girlfriend, who had put his hand on her head, as if telling him to focus more on herself than on his anger. The distraction seemed to work, as the magic in the air disappeared, while the furniture stopped rattling and flying around.

With a grunt and a last glare towards the redhead, he snaked one of his arms around Koneko's waist, while his other hand went to slowly pet the white-haired girl, who snuggled in his side happily as he hesitantly touched her ears. None among those present could miss how close she was to Harry, or the relief that she felt since he remembered her.

" _What was that?!"_ asked Issei, finally breaking through the shock of what had happened. " _I thought that Harry was supposed to be a normal human?!"_

" _I'll admit I am curious as well,"_ frowned Rias, looking expectantly at the seated teen, who simply gave her a deadpan stare, as if to say "you tried to erase my memory and make me break up with my girlfriend, and you expect me to answer you?".

However, his glower stopped when Koneko turned her wide hazel eyes to look at him. He could tell that she was curious, and that despite what had happened with Rias, that she still trusted the redhead, as well as those present within the room. He knew that she was aware of what she was asking, and that she understood that _if_ he answered, it was with the unspoken promise that they wouldn't try to use what he would say to their advantage.

" _Before I answer anything, could you tell me_ why _you tried to erase my memory? Or that you implied that my relationship with Koneko was bound to end badly?_ "

 **-Break-**

" _So, let me see if I understand right. You, and everyone in this room aside from me, are Devils. Devils, as in the Bible's Devils, but nowadays, your species is on the brink of extinction, and thus you resurrect other people as your servants to repopulate. Add to this, that those reincarnated start at the bottom of the social order until they manage to either bring in enough contracts, or accomplish great military deeds._

 _In addition to this, there is a tentative ceasefire between the three Factions, which are comprised of the Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels. To make things worse, Issei and Asia were killed by Fallen Angels not long ago, and resurrected as your servants, which makes you think that someone is specifically trying to start trouble in the area._

 _Well, that certainly explains things,"_ Sighed Harry, pinching his nose. He should have expected something like this. When he finally found someone he loved, and felt loved him for himself, it turned out that she was actually a supernatural being whose entire race was considered traitorous and evil. Oh, how the Ministry would have fun if they learnt of this! They certainly had the material to call him a budding Dark Lord now.

" _I am glad to see that you grasped the basics. Now, could you explain what you are? Until your…outburst, we all thought you were a normal human, but it appears that we were wrong. Are you a Mage? And if so, which association do you come from?"_ politely asked Rias.

" _Err…I am not sure about being a Mage, I know that people like me are called wizards. As for an association, I am sorry, but I never heard of such a thing…Oh, do you mean the ICW?"_

" _The ICW?"_

" _The International Confederation of Wizards. From what I know, they're like the magical equivalent to the UN. They're the ones who oversee things related to magic on a global scale…And judging by your face, you have no idea of who I'm talking about, right?"_ deadpanned Harry, seeing the look of clear confusion on both Rias and Akeno's faces.

" _If such an organization existed, I should be aware of it…One moment please,"_ said the redhead, before a crimson circle appeared beneath her, transporting her away.

" _Where did she go?"_ asked a confused Harry, a bit miffed to have the redhead vanish on him. He might also have been a bit jealous at the way Devils transported themselves to another place. Apparation and Portkeys were not comfortable in the least, always leaving you feeling as if you had been squeezed through a straw, or had been thrown in a washer while being drunk. He himself reacted badly to both, so something as convenient as the circle, which seemed to be rather comfortable, would be a very appreciated change.

" _I believe that she went to fetch someone who might now more about the subject than herself,"_ smiled Akeno, before offering: " _Tea?"_

 **-Break-**

It was a while later, with Harry having somewhat relaxed thanks to the tea of the Japanese beauty, and the idle conversation he had struck with Asia and Issei mainly, that a giant crimson circle appeared, quickly spreading to encompass the entire room. The teenage wizard had been in the middle of a conversation with the former nun, whom he found to be the most innocent soul he had ever met, bare Luna Lovegood, when crimson light suddenly illuminated the entire room, blinding him.

When he opened his eyes again, he found that he, along with the entire Occult club, were in a giant, well-furbished room. Years of being forced to fight for his life, and to suspect everyone to be a potential threat to his life and health, caused him to immediately slip into a fighting mentality, his eyes roaming everywhere, taking in every last detail, and his brain processing the data to allow him to react in time to any potential threat. His first conclusion was that the Occult Club members had no idea of what had happened either, as they looked just as surprised as him, and he would have seen signs if they were faking their emotions. He could see recognition in the eyes of at least Akeno, Yuuto and Koneko, which meant that they at least, had already been there.

The sound of a door attracted his attention, and he turned to see Rias standing there, looking a bit confused herself, while a tall man with crimson hair, looking deceptively young, stood emotionless at her side. Sharp breaths made him look around, and he was surprised to see Akeno, Yuuto, and his girlfriend bowing deeply to the newcomer. Whoever said newcomer was, it was clear that he was high up in the Devil hierarchy at least.

He was opening his mouth to inquire about who the crimson-haired man was, when a hand wrapped around his throat, and he found himself flung, hard, into a wall, the air in his lungs forcefully pushed out by the impact, which, thanks to some experience, he could tell had broken three of his ribs. He could faintly hear the sounds of shock and protest coming from the Occult Club, but at the moment he was fighting hard to not simply lose consciousness, the shock having been more than enough to knock out the average human. He was simply fortunate that a lifetime of fighting and sheer willpower was enough to keep him somewhat awake.

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, he flung himself to the side, just in time to avoid a hit that _pulverized_ the wall, and sent him flying outside the house. Several rolls later, he ended his face in the ground, and puking blood, his body having already gone well beyond its limits simply by allowing him to stay conscious. Through the crimson haze of the blood pounding in his ears, he saw the man who had entered the room with Rias land a few feet away from him, cold, hard eyes staring at him as he tried to get up, and failed to do so.

He glared at the stranger, feeling anger for being treated like this for no reason that he could fathom. He knew he wasn't perfect, but he had never purposely done wrong to anyone who hadn't deserved his ire, even his reaction to Rias' attempt to erase his memory was more than justified. So to be treated this way for no reason made his blood boil. Was this one of the Devils Rias had told him treated humans like dirt? He doubted it, the man had the same crimson hair than her, and she had claimed her family saw the humans as people to protect, not to harm if they could avoid it.

As the man advanced on him, he saw Koneko suddenly appear next to him, white cat ears coming out of her head, while a white cat tail was coming out of her collarbone, sticking straight out like when a cat was angry. She seemed to be about to attack the man, but with a flick of his finger, she was blasted back towards the Occult Club members, whom he could see were running their way, looking panicked.

However, his eyes were only on Koneko, his girlfriend, who had just been _hurt_ by the crimson haired man. Then everything went black.

 **-Break-**

Rias could only watch in shock as her usually goofy older brother, Sirzechs, literally _punted_ Harry outside of the mansion, _after_ destroying the wall with an attack that would have likely killed Koneko's boyfriend had it connected fully. Due to him always acting like a goofball, she had forgotten that her brother was _centuries_ older than her, and had fought in the Civil War, killing more people than the number that lived in Kuoh. But seeing _this_ , she was forcefully reminded of the fact that her brother was one of the most powerful, and _ruthless_ , Devils to currently live.

The question was: _why_ was he acting like that? All she had told him had been the name of Koneko's boyfriend and the fact that he was a wizard, when her Onii-sama's face had changed from cheerful to dead serious, and that he had asked her to tell him everything she knew about him. He had then purposely called on the transport circle present in the Occult Club's meeting room, forcefully transporting Harry, along with her Peerage, to the Underworld. She had not even had the time to ask him what he was doing, that he was already attacking Harry. She could only watch in stunned shock as the teenager was _destroyed_ in front of her, her brother not even showing a hint of an emotion as he crushed the younger man.

However, where she and the others were too stunned to react, Koneko on the other hand had not lost any time. Her cat ears and tail out, she had already brought out her wings, and with an angry hiss had lunged at one of the leaders of the Underworld, ready to defend her boyfriend, no matter how much more powerful Sirzechs was. Her brother merely flung her back like a sack of potatoes, and she caught her Rook just in time to prevent her from landing on the ground.

She was about to call her brother to ask him _why_ he was acting like that, when she felt an absolutely _massive_ power crushing her, sending her, along with Akeno and Yuuto, the only other two who knew how to fly, straight into the ground, just as an unearthly shriek tore through the otherwise peaceful air.

As she tried to stand, while simultaneously helping Koneko up and checking the poor Rook, whom thankfully seemed unharmed, her eyes caught a scene that chilled her to the bone. Where Harry had been laying, beaten and broken, he was now standing, or at least _something_ looking like him was standing.

Where Harry Potter had once laid, beaten and broken, was now standing something that all of Rias' instincts told her to flee from. The beaten body was now back to full health, even if the bloodstains covering the clothes had not disappeared, but that was not the most unnerving. It was the fact that Harry's eyes, which she had previously found to be a very beautiful deep green were now pitch black, and his lips were stretched in a threatening snarl. Truly, she had seen worse things from Stray Devils, Devils who left the service of their Kings and degenerated into little more than beasts with time, but for some reason the entire thing just seemed _wrong_.

" _Harry…"_ moaned Koneko, who, despite having been sent flying, seemed physically unharmed, although she seemed deathly worried for her boyfriend.

" _Onii-sama! What are you doing?! And what is happening to Harry-kun?!"_

Any answer her brother could have provided her was drowned when the being that had been Harry Potter let out another blood-curling shriek, lunging at Sirzechs at speeds that far surpassed what a human was able of. Yet the red-haired Maou didn't seem phased, instead stepping aside, avoiding the berserker, whose hit created a crater as deep as he was tall, and, seeing that his attack had failed, spun on himself to launch another, coiling himself on all fours, like a large feline, but this time, not only did her brother avoid the hit, he struck Harry on the neck, sending the teen to the ground with little effort.

Under Rias and her Peerage's bemused eyes, he then bent over the prone form of the teen, checking his pulse, and, once he was apparently satisfied with what he had felt, he lifted Harry's body like a sack of potatoes, and turned to wave at them, giving her the wide, goofy smile she was used to.

" _Rias-tan! Don't worry, your big brother dealt with the nasty wizard!"_

 **-Break-**

A bit later, they were in one of the guest bedrooms, Harry laid down on the bed, having been treated by Asia again, while Rias and her Peerage, save Koneko, were looking at Sirzechs questioningly. The white-haired loli, for her part, had opted to lay in the bed next to Harry, holding his hand in hers, and overall keeping as much physical contact with her boyfriend than she could, although from time to time her eyes flickered to the red-haired Maou, the worried look in them replaced with anger and disgust.

" _Onii-sama, why did you attack Harry-kun?"_ finally asked Rias, once she was certain that her Rook understood that she was unaware of the attack until it happened, as she was already on Koneko's bad side for almost reducing her boyfriend to a drooling vegetable, or worse, killing him. She did not wish to give the girl the wrong idea, as given how things were, it would take only the slightest thing to completely alienate the younger girl to her, something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

" _Rias, trust me, it was necessary. I wouldn't do something like this for no reason. I apologize for it,"_ he said, turning to bow at the Nekoshou curled up next to Harry, who was giving him an impressive glare for someone who was expressionless most of the time, " _but I had no other options if I wished to determine for sure if I was right."_

" _Onii-sama, stop speaking in riddles!"_

" _Fine, fine. As Harry told you, he is what is known as a wizard. Wizards are not as you may think, Mages. Mages rely on equations to cast their magic, while wizards are closer to us Devils in that they use their own power instead, channeled through a wand, to cast spells. There are actually hidden communities of wizards all around the world, and they are an extremely isolationist bunch, to the point of having almost no contact with the modern world. An example would be the British Wizardry world, where Harry-kun comes from. They are still stuck in the eighteen-hundreds, and most of those born in these communities are not even aware of the fact that mankind has begun exploring space._

 _Now, the reason why I attacked Harry-kun is a bit more complicated. You see, Serafall is the one who deals with these kind of things, and seventeen years ago, there was a wave of rumors about a baby vanquishing the worst Dark Lord the European wizards had seen in the last five centuries. Where adult wizards tried to kill him and failed, a toddler had succeeded. Needless to say, he was hailed as a hero, and given the nickname "the Boy-Who-Lived" for surviving what had been until then, a certain-kill spell._

 _Fast forward sixteen years, to last year, this toddler had grown in a young man named Harry Potter, the same Harry Potter who is unconscious here,"_ Explained the crimson-haired Maou. " _Unfortunately for him, the Dark Lord he had vanquished had created anchors that bound his soul to the mortal plane, preventing him from passing on, and eventually, he came back from the dead when Harry was fourteen. Harry was there to witness the whole thing, and tried to warn the public, but the Ministry of Magic, who were a bunch of bigots and mostly supported the Dark Lord, slandered him, and he was widely believed to be a liar and an attention-seeking brat. Still, no matter how much pressure they put on him, he didn't cave, and kept repeating his story, until one day, the Dark Lord was witnessed by the public attacking the Ministry. After that, it was hard to call him a liar, but Voldemort, the Dark Lord, had already gained too much support, and he eventually overthrew the Ministry, and put a price on Harry's head."_

By now, the entire Occult club was staring at Harry with more than a little respect. To keep warning people despite being warned against it by the government was a commendable action, and given how Sirzechs painted the whole thing, they could see what he was not saying. They doubted that when he had returned the Dark Lord had been happy with Harry, and he likely paid dearly for banishing him or whatever had happened when he was hailed as the Boy-Who-Lived.

" _S-still, Onii-sama, that doesn't explain why you attacked him!"_ pointed out Rias.

" _I was coming to it. Records are a bit scarce, but for the last year of his magical schooling, Harry basically dropped off the map with two of his friends, for what reason is unknown but we believe it was to destroy the other anchors keeping Voldemort alive._

 _After that, there was a battle, and the Dark Lord was killed, but there were rumors about unusual things about Harry around that time. Namely, the fact that he was using far more power than what should have been possible for a wizard, and the fact that nobody could tell what kind of spells he was using. There were also rumors he had reunited artefacts called the Deathly Hallows, which were supposed to have been granted to three wizard brothers by Death itself as a boon for outsmarting it. The one to reunite them was supposed to be the "Master of Death". It was a rather popular fairy tale in their world._

 _What wizards don't know though, is that these artifacts are actually much more than mere fairy tales. They are actually very old, and even I don't know for sure who created them, but what_ is _known about them is that they work as a seal over a very powerful entity, much like Ddraig for Issei's Boosted Gear. And the being sealed by the Hallows is a very old and powerful Goddess of Death known as Nyx, who was dangerous enough that no single pantheon wanted to anger her, due in part to her exceptionally vicious temper. Separated, the Hallows are already quite dangerous if you know how to use them properly, but if someone were to reunite them, the seal would likely be much weaker, and Nyx might be able to influence the Hallows' possessor. Which is why I attacked Harry: I wanted to make sure that he did not succumb to her influence under normal circumstances, even less so exceptional ones._

 _If Nyx was freed due to some mistake on his part, it could cause a crisis that could possibly plunge the world into chaos."_

" _O…Onii-sama, are you serious?"_ asked Rias, looking suddenly ill.

" _Very serious. Nyx is powerful, and even if she has been sealed, she still is a Primordial Goddess. And while Harry-kun seems to be doing a good job so far at ignoring her influence, I could not let him go without making sure that there was no risk of him accidentally freeing her."_

" _You could have asked…"_ groaned a dry voice, making those present turn to see a groggy Harry glaring at the crimson Satan. " _Nyx is different now. Her sealing allowed her to see the world from the perspective of the possessors of the Hallows, and it has done her wonders."_

" _My apologies, Harry-kun, but Nyx is a Goddess, and has been around for much longer than you. She knows how to lie better than most living beings, or how to manipulate someone into thinking what she wants. What makes you think that her claims are not a lie destined to make you lower your guard?"_ smiled the Satan, in a way that while not purposely condescending, seemed quite close to it, as well as amused.

" _Because she is_ already _free,"_ was the dry answer from the wizard, " _I died during the Battle of Hogwarts, something my old mentor had apparently planned and believed I would be able to return to the world of the living since the curse that killed me supposedly would have targeted the remnant of a soul stuck in my scar, thus sparing mine. What he didn't know was that the curse ripped_ my _soul out of my body as well, and I had no way to return to it. Nyx showed herself then, and offered me a bargain: she would help me live again, and in exchange, she would be able to create herself a body using my blood. Things were actually a bit more complicated than that, and I didn't agree right away since I had known her for a whole five minutes, but she was able to convince me to agree._

 _So she has been free for around a year now, and yet nothing changed._ That _is the best proof that she was telling the truth. Do you know where she is now? In Britain, keeping an eye on my Godson because I can't. So excuse me if I have confidence in the fact that she changed from the Goddess you described into an actually decent person."_

The wizard's words seemed to have surprised the older man, who frowned for a moment. It was clear that he had not been aware of that fact.

" _How do you explain what happened during our fight then? Your eyes became black and you showed much more power than you should possess, and charged me like a berserker. If that was not Nyx's influence, what was it?"_

" _Oh, it was her influence all right. I'm her Master, see? The guy who sealed her made it so that even if she was to be freed, that she was forever bound to the last person to master the Hallows. Since she is quite happy with her life now, and that if I die she's going back to the Hallows, she gifted me a silver of her power for situations where I would be in danger of dying. The only reason I was a berserker at the time was because the last thing I wanted wasn't to live, it was to hurt_ you _for hurting Koneko,"_ growled Harry, his arms snaking around his girlfriend's waist possessively, as if to make sure that she was fine.

Said girlfriend was blushing beet red, although he couldn't see it, her hazel eyes wide at the knowledge that Harry, despite being in danger of dying, had reacted more violently to the fact that he thought Sirzechs hurt _her_ than the fact his life was threatened. It gave a whole new dimension to the expression "loving someone more than life itself", and she was elated at that knowledge, already deciding to reward Harry for it. Any girl would love to hear that from their boyfriend!

" _So, now that your sister isn't trying to make me a drooling vegetable and that_ you _aren't attacking me out of nowhere, can I_ please _have some time alone with Koneko? And don't think I won't be asking for reparations later, what you both did was stupid and dangerous. I could have ended up killing Rias by accident if I ever got too close to dying, and you brought out a mindless berserker because you didn't have the patience to_ ask _me if I was even aware of Nyx."_

That made the older man give him an indulgent smile.

" _And how do you expect to threaten me into actually listening to your demands, Harry-kun? I am one of the leader of the Devils, and while you have Nyx's backing, I doubt that she would help you just for that. Don't get me wrong, I_ will _compensate you for the trouble, but I am curious about how you intended to pressure me otherwise?"_

The green-haired wizard just grinned, his face showing evil glee.

" _Well, while Koneko and I haven't been boyfriend and girlfriend very long, she still told me some things about the other members of the club, and you, since you are Rias' brother."_

" _That still does not explain how you would have done. Koneko-san doesn't have any blackmail material on me, and even if she did, I wouldn't have trouble finding and destroying it before you could make use of it."_

" _Really? Well then, I supposed I will have to tell your wife that you attacked someone much weaker than you, who had done nothing to threaten anyone in your family, well outside of Rias, and in her case I would likely have pranked her until she begged for forgiveness. I hear Grayfia-san is very strict on those matters…"_

The very pale face of the Crimson Satan told everyone what they needed to know, and that Harry held him by the family jewels. Sirzechs, while he loved her dearly, was _terrified_ of his wife when she was pissed off, and would do literally _anything_ to avoid getting on her bad side. The wizard's claims would be more than enough to have the silver-haired beauty at the very least interrogating him, and he had never managed to lie to her in a convincing manner.

" _Please don't tell Grayfia-chan! I promise to give you anything you want, but don't tell her anything!"_ begged the older man, who had prostrated himself in seiza, much to the amusement of those present.

 **-Break-**

Later that night, Harry was trying to sleep in the massively large bed he had been given in the equally absurdly large room he was allotted in the Gremory residence, since Sirzechs had wanted to properly apologize to him for both his and his sister's attacks on his person. Granted, he was a bit leery of accepting the invitation of someone who had almost killed him, but then again from what he now knew, if the man had wanted him dead he wouldn't have had the time to react before he _was_ dead. And overprotectiveness was something he could understand, being equally protective of those few he cared for. He knew that if someone threatened Koneko, he would stop to nothing to make sure they were no longer a threat to her. It was a bit startling to realize how far he would willingly fall for his girlfriend, but then again he loved her, and for him who had had precious few to love, it meant that there was nothing he wouldn't do to see her safe.

As he turned on himself again, not quite ready to sleep yet, he heard the door open, and as he turned, he saw the small silhouette of his girlfriend softly close the door before walking up to his bed, and then climb on it.

"Koneko?"

She didn't answer, her hands grabbing the sheets and moving them so she could enter the bed. He was not sure of what to say as his fifteen-years old girlfriend, clad in white pajamas, slid inside the sheets, until she was safely tucked beside him. He then felt her move until she was hugging him, and any words he had were stopped by the trembling of her body.

" _I thought you were going to die…"_ she whispered, and he could feel her distress from where he was. " _I thought you were going to leave me..."_

While he wasn't an expert in comforting distraught women, something he had gotten moderately better at since his schooling, he knew that in her current state, he needed to reassure his girlfriend, and that the best way at the moment was through physical intimacy. And while he was _not_ going to have sex with her or anything of the sort before he was completely certain that she was ready and willing, that didn't mean there was nothing he could do.

He made sure to move slowly, so as to not startle Koneko, and gently hugged her back, while he positioned himself in a way that allowed him to peer down into her hazel eyes and her face.

" _I will_ never _leave you, Koneko. I promise you that, no matter what, I will_ never _leave you, and I'll always be there for you. It doesn't matter where or when, if you need me, just tell me, and I'll be there. That's my promise."_

Then, and before she could say anything more, he gave her a quick peck on the lips, the first thing resembling a true kiss they had ever done, and he was satisfied to see the hazel orbs peering up at him widen, before she stuck her head in his chest, but not before he caught her blush or the small smile on her lips.

He should not have been surprised that her lips tasted sweet, after all given her love for anything sugary, he would have been surprised if that had not been the case. He would have to make sure that she didn't ruin her health by eating so many sugary treats, but perhaps as a Devil she was resistant to troubles such as diabetes.

He was brought out of his musing when he felt his shirt starting to get wet, but he was too much of a gentleman to inquire about what was wrong. Instead, he merely hugged the white-haired Devil curled up against him stronger, and started to pet her head while whispering words of love into her ears.

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 **The next part is already done, I'm mainly proofreading it at the moment, so expect the story to be complete in a week or two at most.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, and here is the next chapter of Sitting on a bench. Now, all that is left is the epilogue, which will be posted soon (promise).**

 **Before reading though, a few important things:**

 **-yes, this story closely resembles _A teenage shop owner_ (really nice story by the way). However, I already wanted to write something similar to _Mismatched Wings_ (my HPxDxD fic with HarryxAkeno pairing) but with Koneko instead of Akeno _before_ reading _A teenage shop owner_. I will not deny that it inspired me, but the intention for the story was there in the first place.**

 **-before reviewing, do read the AN at the end of the page, it'll explain a few things on what happened in the chapter**

 **-many told me the characters (especially Harry) are idiots and aren't acting like they should. A kind reminder: in Canon (which I am trying to stick to as close as possible), Harry forgave Ron, despite the redhead's behavior almost costing him his life in fourth year. He also didn't try anything against Umbridge aside from the DA, and while it was due to her being in a position of power where he couldn't do much, she was torturing students and he did nothing. And since he always has had trouble valuing his own life, I don't think it illogical to say that he hates Umbridge more than Rias. So his inaction shouldn't come out as too much of a surprise.**

 **And Rias herself IS a spoiled princess at the start of DxD (though she gets better as the story goes on). She reincarnates Issei when he doesn't have a choice (when it was clear he would have agreed to be a Devil in a hearbeat if she had simply told him he could get a Harem), and she failed to help her Pieces get over their traumas. She doesn't even train her a** off to make sure she's ready for when her Rating game against Raiser happens, it was as if she was hoping her family would suddenly decide to cancel her engagement to Raiser, and she was just waiting for it.**

 **-WARNING RANT: I got quite a few negative reviews, some making good points (thank you for them), others just criticizing this story. I repeat what I always say: I'm not forcing you to read, you're free to leave if you don't like this story. For those who just review to tell me this story sucks (without telling me WHY they think so) I strongly urge you to choose more productive things to do since I tend to consider these reviews as useless and go on while I ignore them.**

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 **I don't own Harry Potter or Highschool DxD**

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 **Sitting on a bench**

 **Part II**

The next morning saw Harry's bedroom door banging open, waking him up immediately as he dove for his wand.

" _Where is she?"_

The venom in Rias' voice was almost a liquid thing, and had he not had Snape as a teacher, he would have flinched back by instinct. As it was, he was more or less immunized to all kinds of intimidating voices, and Rias' was no exception. There was also the fact that just the day before, she had almost made him a drooling vegetable in her haste to separate him from his girlfriend, who happened to be also quite pissed at the redhead for her actions. Therefore, he was quite miffed at being woken up in such a manner, especially since he had been enjoying the best sleep of his life, sleep noticeably devoid of nightmares for the first time since the Battle of Hogwarts.

" _Harry-kun, I_ know _Koneko-chan is here. When I went to look for her this morning and tell her that breakfast was ready, she wasn't in her room, and her bed cover wasn't even ruffled. Imagine my surprise when I sensed her in_ this _room, in_ your bed _!_

 _I hope for your sake you didn't do anything to her, or…"_

 _"Or what?"_ he growled, " _You'll erase my memory? Last time you tried, I was pushing you back, and Koneko wasn't here to stop you. And for the record, I didn't bring her here, she came by herself, and she decided by herself to spend the night. I also would like to point out that I would never force my girlfriend into anything, least of all when she is still obviously distraught by what happened yesterday. The fact that you think I could stoop so low makes me wonder what kind of man you seem to think I am."_

By now, he could see the other members of the Occult Club standing at the door, Akeno with a dangerous smile on her face, Kiba looking a bit embarrassed, Asia beaming, and Issei looking quite angry and mumbling things about "sinking his claws into poor, innocent Koneko-chan".

" _Ufufufu…Harry-kun has been a bad boy, do you want me to_ punish _him, Buchou?"_

 _"Akeno-san…You wouldn't happen to be related to someone called Bellatrix Lestrange, formerly Black, would you?"_ he asked. The similarities were quite frightening. Both the insane witch and the Devil teen had purple eyes, and both seemed to be sadists. Both had black hair, and both were incredibly loyal to those they saw as their Masters.

The question seemed to surprise the buxom beauty, who shook her head. Before she could answer though, a head, with twin, white cat ears, emerged from the covers of the bed, Koneko rubbing her eyes sleepily.

" _Nyyyaaa? It's morning already?"_

While he smiled and petted the still sleepy form of his girlfriend, Rias had suddenly gone very still, while Akeno couldn't manage to hide her surprise. Their eyes were fixated on the white appendages twitching on their _kouhai_ 's head, appendages that by all rights should be hidden away.

" _Koneko-chan…Your ears…"_

Harry blinked.

" _Yeah, I've wanted to ask, what's with the cat ears, Koneko? Is this some kind of Devil thing I'm not aware of?"_

Instead of answering immediately, the younger girl just smiled and buried her face in his chest, purring contentedly, her arms circling his waist and holding him in a hug that he had no hope to escape.

" _Nyyaaaa…I'm a Nekoshou…A cat Youkai…"_

She then paused, her words cut off by a loud purring as she rubbed herself in Harry's shirt-covered chest, the scene making Asia blush yet beam in happiness as well. The reaction from Issei though, was much more normal for him, he smiled lecherously as he stared at the loli catgirl, something that Harry noticed. With a subtle twitch of his fingers, the brown-haired boy was clutching his privates, the spell the wizard had used twisting his boxers and slowly crushing his family jewels.

" _Issei-san, look at my girlfriend with those eyes again, and I will remove what makes you a man in the most painful way I can find, and trust me, wizards can be_ very _creative."_

Not once did his voice break from the cheery tune he used, however the eyes staring at the newly minted Devil sent shivers down the spines of those present. Given his history, they believed him when he made such claims, and were not in any hurry to see him put his threats to execution.

Eventually, it was Rias who broke the silence again, though this time her voice was disbelieving.

" _What did you_ do _to her? She has refused to take that form for as long as I've known her, and it has been almost six years!"_

 _"Seriously?"_

She had refused to use this form, this _very_ beautiful, _magnificent_ form for more than seven years? Suddenly, he was a lot more concerned about Rias' ability to care for people. Even if Koneko was adamant that the redhead had taken care of her, welcomed her in her family as if she was a little sister, the fact that she was refusing, even now, to use a part of her powers that were apparently part of her very _species_ , told him that the Gremory heiress might actually have done a sloppier job than he had previously thought. Caring for people was nice, but sometimes they needed to _speak_ about their troubles to get over them, which his girlfriend had only just done, somehow.

 _"I think you should leave, Rias-san,"_ his voice was cold, and there was a barely hidden threat in it. He didn't trust the redhead, not after what had happened, and what he had just discovered. He hoped for her that her failure in getting Koneko to use this form was due to not putting enough effort into it, or else he would be having _words_ with the heiress. Now that he was aware of who she was and what she could have done for her Rook, but _hadn't_ , he didn't feel very charitable.

Obviously, Rias was very much unwilling to leave, and her stubbornness shone through as she glared at him defiantly, her arms crossed in front of her chest, as if daring him to do anything to her.

" _I refuse. I cannot, in good conscience, leave you with Koneko when it's clear you've done something to her, and when I don't know what you intend to do the moment I leave. She is too young to engage in_ that _kind of activities, and-"_

 _"And it is not your decision to make,"_ he hissed, " _Koneko is not your_ pet _, as you seem to think you have a right to dictate her actions. She is her own person, and someone very dear to me. What happened between us is_ private _, and if you keep putting your nose where it doesn't belong, I can assure you that I will make you regret it._

 _So far, I can tell you have good intentions, which is about the_ ONLY _reason I haven't given you a rather needed lesson about what you are and aren't allowed to do. You do_ not _have the right to dictate Koneko's life, no matter what you seem to think. And before you try to threaten me with your family's influence, need I remind you that I happen to have a Goddess of Death willing to help me?_

 _So get out, before I throw you out. I need to discuss a few things with my girlfriend, and we'll join you for breakfast once we're done. And given your actions so far, I am starting to seriously consider removing Koneko from your Peerage."_

As he finished speaking, a crimson aura began to surround the redhead, while electricity crackled around her Queen, neither of which seemed in any mood to listen to him.

" _Ano, Buchou?"_ nervously said Kiba, " _Perhaps we should let them talk…"_

 _"What?! But he wants to take Koneko from me, from us!"_ scowled the redhead, who was clearly furious.

" _And why does he want that? He's_ concerned _for Koneko-chan, just like_ you _are. But from what Sirzechs-sama said, he might see things differently than_ we _do. It could be good for her, Buchou. She never wanted to talk to us, and we are her_ friends _. Harry-kun is her_ boyfriend _, she might open up to him more than she does with us, and it could help her._

 _There is also the fact that sometimes, you are a bit_ too _protective_ , _Buchou."_

 _"What?!"_

Given the way the Devil heiress whirled on herself in shock, she had not expected her Knight to actually agree with their guest. The blonde himself was sweating lightly, no doubt because of how angry the redhead was looking, but he still kept talking.

" _Buchou, you said so yourself: we are your family. And you_ want _to protect your family, that's what families are supposed to do. But there are things you_ can't _talk about with your family, things that you can only talk about to someone who can_ understand _. And I think that Harry-kun does. And he wants to help Koneko-chan. But you are acting as if he was going to steal her from you. He doesn't, well unless he thinks staying with us isn't good for her. So what you…_ we _need to do, is accept that, and give them some space."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Buchou,"_ eventually said Akeno, the electricity around her fading to nothing, " _maybe…maybe Kiba-kun is right. We've treated Koneko-chan as if she was a child. But she is old enough to know what she wants, and maybe talking about_ _ **it**_ _with Harry-kun might help her…"_

 _"You too, Akeno?!"_

 _"Rias,"_ softly said the purple-eyed beauty, " _please."_

Given the solemn looks on both the Knight and the Queen's faces, the redhead scowled, before another voice, a very meek one, intervened.

" _A-ano, Buchou-san…I think…I think Harry-san wants Koneko-chan to be happy…"_

While the former nun's argument was flimsy at best, Harry doubted that _anyone_ could have said no to the big, watering puppy-dog eyes she was making, and eventually the redhead sighed in defeat.

" _Fine,"_ she huffed, " _but if you hurt her in_ any _way…"_ she growled, a sphere of crimson power appearing in her hand, " _I will END you."_

She then stomped away, followed by the other members of the Occult Research Club, reminding Harry eerily of a redheaded Draco Malfoy.

Still, he had things he wanted to ask his girlfriend, and he was going to have some answers.

 **-Break-**

By the time they were done, Harry was almost trembling with rage. No wonder Koneko didn't want to take that form, not when it reminded her of her time spent locked up as a _child_! She had not been too detailed about _what_ had happened during her captivity, but from the way she spoke, and from his own experiences, he could tell that it had been _bad_. And to top it all, not only had she been arrested, locked up for no other reason that she was related to the culprit of a murder _without_ a shred of evidence to even _imply_ that she was aware of what happened, but the Devils had ordered her _execution_?! The only reason she was even alive, was because Sirzechs had _given_ her, a child traumatized, and in dire need of psychological help, to his sister, as a member of her Peerage! What _had_ the man been thinking?!

Sure, he could understand that it was a way to protect Koneko, and for that he was grateful, but even then the man was the bloody _leader_ of the Underworld, he should have been able to make the others see reason! There had been no reason to even lock his girlfriend up in the first place! And yet, not only had he _given_ the poor, traumatized _Shirone_ to Rias, but he had then seemed to consider he had done everything he needed to, even allowing Rias to rename Shirone into _Koneko. Koneko,_ the Japanese for _kitten_. And Rias wondered why she refused to use her natural form?!

His anger had clearly not gone unnoticed by his girlfriend, who put her small hands on his cheeks, giving him a radiant smile, so different from the blank face she used to show the first time they had met.

" _Shhhh…I'm better now. I have you."_

 _"Doesn't make what they did any better. I have half a mind to ask Nyx if she can help me track the ones who hurt you down and kill them. And I'm going to have a serious conversation with Rias. Seriously, that girl_ really _needs to learn that sometimes people need to talk about their troubles instead of letting them fester,"_ He growled.

 _"She didn't know…And she took care of me,"_ pointed out Koneko, no, Shirone.

" _True, she did. But even then, she should have known that you needed help after what you went through. The fact that it has been years since then, and that she_ still _hasn't brought you to a psychologist, makes me wonder if she is truly aware of what it means to care for traumatized people,"_ he grumbled, putting his head on her shoulders and hugging her.

She gladly returned the hug, and for several minutes, they just basked in each other's presence.

Eventually, though, their hug was broken by the rumbling of Shirone's stomach, and the teenage girl blushed.

" _Looks like someone is hungry…"_ smiled Harry, before softly brushing her twitching ears with his fingers, sending pleasurable jolts down the Nekoshou's spine.

" _Nyaaa…Harry, stop teasing me!"_ pouted the younger girl, and he felt glad to see her like this, acting like the flustered teenager she was, and should always had been.

Once breakfast was done, he was going to _have words_ with Rias, and Sirzechs. While the younger redhead could be excused at first to not have thought about bringing Shirone to a psychologist, she was now seventeen, and had gotten plenty of time to realize that her Rook was in need of psychological help. Just caring for her did help some, but it was nowhere near enough.

Sirzechs though…There was no way that the Maou hadn't realized that Shirone needed help, which begged the question of _why_ he hadn't insisted on having her followed by a someone. After all, Devils were not Wizards, and were aware that humans had made huge leaps in every domain ever since the beginning of the twentieth century.

 _"Harry?"_

 _"Mmm?"_ he asked, tearing himself from his thoughts, just in time to feel his girlfriend giving him a peck on the lips.

" _It's a reward. For caring,"_ she smiled, before leaping out of his bed and running out of his room, still clad in her pajamas.

 _By Merlin I love this girl,_ he thought, feeling a wide smile stretching his lips.

 **-Break-**

Breakfast was…awkward, actually. First of all, while he was used to eating at a giant table, he was most certainly _not_ used to having maids serving him, and even less to be the subject of interest of every Devil at the table. The reason? Simple. The reason every Devil at the table was currently staring at him with either disbelief or polite amusement was his girlfriend. Who was sitting on his lap and wolfing down the pancakes in the plate in front of him with a wide smile on her face.

" _Did we miss something?"_ eventually asked Akeno, who had an amused smile on her face, " _Did Koneko-"_

 _"Shirone,"_ he curtly corrected her. " _Her name, is Shirone. Not Koneko."_

 _"Excuse me, Harry-san,"_ smiled Rias, although it was clear to all those present that her smile was forced, " _Her name is Koneko Toujou. It's the name she has used ever since she had been my Rook. She abandoned her other name. She hates to be called by it."_

He snorted. Clearly, while she meant good the redhead was a bit too conceited for her own good.

" _Correction. She hates when_ you _call her by her former name, she certainly doesn't mind when_ I _do it. In fact, I've had a little chat with my girlfriend, and I have found your actions towards her less than stellar."_

 _"Excuse me?!"_ hissed Rias, Akeno and Yuuto tensing as well, while Issei and Asia weren't too sure about what side to be on. While Harry _was_ being disrespectful of Rias, he _was_ Koneko's boyfriend, and he seemed to know more about her past than them. It was also clear that he only wanted the best for the white-haired girl, as she was now smiling, instead of showing the blank face she usually wore around them. " _I saved her, took her in my Peerage-"_

 _"_ You _did nothing. It was Sirzechs who spared her from execution, when she shouldn't even have been locked up IN THE FIRST PLACE!"_ he roared, his magic lashing out and making the windows explode, " _And what did he do with the emotionally unstable girl, who had been traumatized after what she had gone through? He_ gave _her to you, like some kind of_ pet!" he hissed. " _And what do_ you _do? You give her a name that means "kitten" and a family name that means "Castle"! If there ever was any doubt about how you saw her, I think it is clear that this sums it up pretty well! You didn't even_ try _to let her choose her new name, for Merlin's sake! And to make things worse, not_ once _did you get her help to overcome the trauma of what she lived through! There is a limit to how blind you can be! Or were you so happy to have a Nekoshou in your Peerage that you honestly believed that it is normal for a_ teenage girl _to be emotionless all the damn time?!_

 _And then you have the audacity to claim you saved her?! Hugs and kisses are fine, but traumatized people need counseling and psychological help!"_

" _And what would you know of it?!"_ snarled Rias, although now there was a shaky edge to her tone. It was clear that his words had rattled her, and that she was thinking back on what she had done about Shirone ever since they had met.

" _Did you forget? I was "raised" by relatives who hated my very_ existence _, spent my teenage years with people trying to kill me, Hell, I_ killed _my first man when I was_ eleven _. And the few whom I trust with my full past all told me it was a bloody miracle I was so well-adjusted and that all I got was a case of Hero Complex, instead of being raving mad and trying to kill people left and right. And frankly, Shirone had it far worse than me. Heck, you_ told _me that she even refused to take her natural form until I came along!"_

 _"Because it's a reminder of her sister!"_ shouted the redhead, who seemed to be grasping at straws to destroy his arguments, and by the look of anguished realization of her face, she had realized this.

" _Wrong. It's a reminder of the time she spent locked up, in a_ prison cell _, when she was still a child. A reminder that your people were happy to send her to be_ executed _simply because they feared her, when she had committed no other fault than being born as a Nekoshou! The people you seem to be proud to be a part of!_

 _And on a side note, has_ anyone _even tried to investigate_ why _Kuroka killed her Master? Or did they just assume that she lost control and went mad with power? Because if that was the case, she should have been caught fairly quickly, those people are rarely subtle enough to escape notice for long, but she's been on the run for what, seven years, with the whole Underworld on her tail?"_

 _"What are you implying?"_ asked Akeno, who had narrowed her eyes at his words, although instead of being angry, she seemed contemplative.

" _My Godfather, a man I loved dearly, was set up by one of his own friends and sent to prison without a trial, where he rotted for twelve whole years before escaping to protect me. Now, and from the impression I got of your government, they seem to be just as bad with Reincarnated Devils than the British Magical Ministry is with Muggleborns, which means that I won't rule out the possibility of the whole thing being treated much the same way. What is to say that Kuroka didn't have an actual reason for turning on her Master?"_

" _If that was the case, she'd tell them!"_ exclaimed Issei, only to be corrected by a sadly smiling Kiba.

" _Issei-kun, if Kuroka had shown herself, she would have been killed on sight before even being able to plead her case. And Harry-kun is right in assuming that the Underworld government didn't look very deep into it. They asked the servants of the family of the King she killed, but little more than that. And it was mostly to make sure that she had been the one to kill him, not to try and find_ why _she did so. I think that pretty much everyone assumed that she had gone mad while using Senjutsu."_

 _"Uuhh…What does that mean?"_ asked Issei, looking lost as Rias sagged in her chair, looking moments away from a mental breakdown.

" _It means that apparently the Underworld is similar to the British Magical society in this that their justice is inherently flawed, and is more based on your status than whether you are actually guilty or not,"_ grunted Harry, who put his head on the mop of white hair from his girlfriend, who had gone silent, and inhaled her scent, calming himself.

" _You think onee-sama is innocent?"_ whispered Shirone, who was gripping her skirt so hard her knuckles were white.

" _I'm not saying she is, what I'm saying that is that it can't hurt to know her side of the story. And if she did go mad with power, well it's going to be pretty obvious quite fast."_

 _"But if she is innocent, why didn't she come for me?"_ whispered the young Nekoshou, whose voice told all those who could hear her how hard she was taking the news. Thinking that her sister had gone mad, killed her Master and then left without even coming to see her was one thing, but if she had been sane, why hadn't she taken her sister with her? Why had she left her to rot in the Underworld's prison, instead of breaking her out?

" _I don't know,"_ he admitted, " _but she's your family, and that at least means that you should hear her out. After that, well…What you do is your own choice."_

He could tell that she was distraught, her dropping ears were a good indicator of her general mood after all, and he felt like an ass to have brought the subject of Kuroka in the discussion. Still, if it meant allowing Shirone the chance to reconcile with her older sister and make peace with who she was, with _what_ she was, then he'd bear it, and he would be there all the way for her.

 **-Break-**

The next day was spent at his place, once Sirzechs had returned him, as well as the Occult Club, to the human world. Rias has been down ever since his tongue lashing at her, and though she had explained the reason behind it to the man, he seemed to be just barely refraining from maiming Harry for causing her to be like that. Still, he had told them that he would personally look into the matter of Kuroka, as he admitted that the whole thing had been rather fast, and that things could have been overlooked.

He had taken Shirone back to his place, where he had cooked her a feast fit for a God, which she had wolfed down with relish, before plopping herself in his lap and spending the remainder of the day there, with him scratching her ears and occasionally kissing her. It was startling how much her personality had changed since he had promised to be there for her, from an almost unresponsive, blank faced girl, to a lively, cat-like girl who loved to cling to him and cuddle.

Still, even that barely managed to distract her from the depression that she had almost slumped in when the possibility of her sister abandoning her had come up. So, and hoping to distract her, he introduced her to Hedwig, whom so far she had not met, since the owl had always been out hunting when she had been to his place. Needless to say, both white-clad females, the owl and the Nekoshou-turned-Devil, despite their instinctual distrust, due to the fact that one was a bird and the other part-cat, got along swimmingly. Shirone would pet the owl, praising her beauty and intelligence, and Hedwig would soak it up, preening, happy to have someone outside of her master recognizing how amazing an owl she was. And Hedwig would perch herself on the teen's shoulder, bumping her head into her perch's, and gently comb her hair using her beak.

While not enough to completely break her out of her depression, it was still enough to take her thoughts off it for the moment, so he counted it as a success.

The night…was somewhat strange for Harry, since Shirone had all but _marched_ into his bed, clad in her pajamas, and when he had gawked at her, she had only given him a look of fond exasperation before literally _dragging_ him into the bed, and then cuddled against him like he was some kind of giant teddy bear, leaving him confused as Hell, but happy to be able to sleep next to his girlfriend.

 **-Break-**

The next day, Harry was making himself lunch, Shirone having left for school, when he saw a black cat lazily observing him from outside the window, plopped over a tree branch. Ignoring it, he turned back to his meal, only to start as the cat suddenly leaped from the tree branch, and through the window, until it was licking its' paw while sitting on his table. Now, while Harry was not an expert on cats, he had spent enough time around Crookshanks, Hermione's half-Kneazle half-cat, to know that this was _not_ normal cat behavior.

"…Okay, I'll bite," he eventually sighed, before staring at the feline, whom, he had the distinct impression, was amused, "You're not a normal cat, I understand that. Now, and given I'm no expert on magical breeds of cats, I'm going to go on a limb and guess that you're Kuroka, Shirone's sister, right?"

Given the jump of the feline, it was clear that he had been right. Then again, a strange, _black_ cat who entered his home, which had been warded profusely (although Rias and Akeno had easily slipped through the wards), and that mere _days_ after Harry had all but ensured that she got a fair trial if she showed up in the Underworld? He might be dense, but not _that_ much.

Moments later, one of the most beautiful women he had _ever_ seen was standing in front of him pouting. Kuroka, like her sister, wasn't very tall, standing at about five feet and three inches or so. With long dark hair falling well past her shoulders, and a beautiful face, she was a lovely woman, something her clothing only helped emphasize. Clad in a black kimono that left her shoulders bare, and exposing a large amount of her absolutely _massive_ cleavage, the Nekoshou could likely have seduced just about any man with little trouble, her cat-like appendages and behavior only serving to make her more seductive.

" _Nyaaa…"_ she pouted, " _You're no fun…"_

Then, she smiled, and before he knew it, she was inches away from his face, scrutinizing him intently, while he slowly backed up until he was back to the wall, Kuroka still peering at him closely.

" _Mmm…Not bad, nya!"_ she eventually grinned, pressing her body against his.

While Harry was a normal male, and thus, was _deathly_ aroused by having such a beautiful woman pressing her luscious body onto him and making poorly hidden attempts at seducing him, he was very much in love with Shirone. If there was one thing he _refused_ , it was to hurt her in any way, and he knew that she would not be pleased if she knew he fell for her own sister's advances.

" _Kuroka, get off me!"_ he grunted, trying to push the young woman away from him, yet failing, as the deceptively slender-looking Nekoshou was showing herself to be surprisingly strong.

" _Why?"_ she purred, coming to nibble his ear. He felt his face heat with mortification as the feeling sent shivers down his spine. Clearly, Kuroka had little in the way of inhibitions.

" _Because I'm in a relationship with your sister!"_ he grunted, still trying to free himself from her iron grip. " _And I'm not going to betray her by going behind her back!"_

Suddenly, the grip on his body disappeared, and Kuroka took a step back, a wide smile on her face.

" _Well, it seems that Shirone found herself a good mate, nyahaha!"_

The next moment he was on the ground, choking on his saliva as cold, golden eyes stared down at him imperiously. Kuroka's presence was, in a single word, _suffocating_ , and had he not been through more life and death situations that most war veterans, as well as missed most basic survival instincts, he would have been catatonic with fear. As it was, he was still reminded _very_ clearly that in the world he had stepped in after starting dating Shirone, he was little more than a speck of dust for the most powerful beings out there. Hell, his own girlfriend could likely break him like a twig if she so wished, which really served to put things into perspective. He'd have to ask Nyx if there was a way for him to grow stronger, as he was not about to accept being dead weight whenever his girlfriend was in danger.

" _I you_ ever _hurt her, I will rip you to shreds, slowly, and painfully, is that clear, wizard?"_

" _I'd die before doing that! And you hurt her a lot more than I ever did by abandoning her!"_ he managed to grunt, before breathing some much needed air as the pressure suddenly disappeared.

" _And what was I supposed to do, nya?!"_ growled the Nekoshou, her ears laying flat on her head as she played with the golden beads on her _obi_. It was clear the subject was still very sore for her.

" _I had just killed a High-Class Devil! If I took her with me, she would be a fugitive, she would forever be tracked by Devils! If I left her, I hoped that they'd leave her alone, she was just a_ child _!"_

 _"Well, clearly they thought differently,"_ he pointed out dryly, " _And why didn't you come to help her then, when she was imprisoned and that it became clear that your plan hadn't worked?"_

 _"I didn't know, nya! I was running for my life, and laying low, so I learnt about what happened only_ after _she was imprisoned, and the day of her execution, there were two of the four Satans attending, I couldn't hope to free her, nya! Do you know how much it_ hurt _me to leave her like that, to know what she was suffering, and that there was_ nothing _I could do for her, nya?!"_ she hissed, her nails growing into claws and her eyes watering.

He almost recoiled at the _anguish_ the black Nekoshou was radiating. Kuroka clearly _despised_ herself for what had happened, no matter how carefree she played, or how she hid behind the mask of a playful seductress. In a way, she was just as broken as Shirone had been, even worse, she had not had anyone to hug or comfort her after that ordeal, and had been forced to see her own sister become an emotionless husk, as he had no doubt that she had kept an eye on her younger sibling as often as she could.

" _Alright…"_ he said, very carefully standing. He was _very_ aware that for all her flirting, Kuroka was a _very_ powerful Devil, someone who could kill him before he even realized it, and Goddess of Death or not, there was only so much Nyx would be able to do to before it became impossible to resurrect him.

" _You might want to know that Sirzechs should be investigating the whole thing with your King-"_

 _"I know, nya!"_ grinned the Nekoshou, her earlier behavior nowhere to be seen, before she glomped him, shoving him head first in her cleavage as she gave him the tightest hug he had _ever_ gotten. " _Thank you!"_

Despite her rather cheery behavior, the slight trembling of her shoulders told him all he needed to know about how she truly felt, and he haphazardly returned the hug, having never been very good at demonstrations of affection himself.

" _Thank you so much…Maybe I'll even be able to see Shirone, now, nya! Hehehe! I might even be able to give you some_ tips _for the bedroom, nya! It's a big sister's duty to make sure their little sister's first time is the best possible experience!"_

 _"KUROKA!"_ roared a blushing Harry, the she-devil already disappearing to Gods-knew-where, laughing like a maniac. Still, for all her teasing, he could tell that she was elated beyond words to now have a chance to clear her name, not even because it would make her life easier, but because it would allow her to see her little sister freely.

He felt a brief pang of longing at the thought of such a tight-knit family, having never had experienced such a thing himself. The closest he had were the Weasleys, well discounting Molly's harpying when she did not get her way and Ginny's stalkerish tendencies. Or Percy's brown-nosing.

 **-Break-**

Shirone was practically skipping out of school, happy to be done with the tedious task of listening to lectures that while sometimes interesting, were of little interest considering her status as a Devil. Rias had, before the school day had begun, dragged her to a classroom and actually _apologized_ for her actions, or lack of, concerning her. It was clear that Harry's words had shaken her, and forced her to reconsider how she did things, something that seemed to have taken her the major part of the previous day and night if the faint dark circles under her eyes were any indication.

She was just glad that the redhead might now be able to help her senpai deal with their problems, she knew that Kiba still hated the Excaliburs to the point of possibly abandoning the Peerage if he felt he had a chance at revenge, something she did not want as she cared for the older male. Not to mention Akeno, who still went into a rage whenever the name of her father was mentioned. It would be good for Rias to help them, she knew, it would make her grow as an individual, as she had to admit that until then, the redhead had been something of a spoilt princess. She wasn't condescending or anything, but it showed in how she did things, especially when it came to Issei. Instead of gently asking the pervert if he wanted to become a Devil, which she was sure he would have accepted the moment he was told he could form a harem, she had let him die, and only after that had she resurrected him. This, along with the fact that she hardly trained despite the fact that her family was pressuring her to marry Raiser Phenex, and that her only way out of the marriage was a Rating Game, told Shirone that the redhead _still_ hoped to have her brother void the contract.

" _Who is he?"_

 _"A foreigner?"_

 _"He's hot!"_

The giggling of a lot of the female students brought her attention to the silhouette lounging at the school entrance. Harry was leaning against the entrance, clad in his everyday clothes, and looking a bit off-put by the amount of attention he was receiving, making her inwardly sigh. While she did not love him for his physique, he was still a very good looking male, yet he seemed to be unaware of that fact, or that his clear uneasiness only served to make him all the more interesting for the female students, some of which seemed moments away from trying to flirt with him.

She felt a pang of irritation at that, and only just refrained from hissing at the giggling group. Harry was _her_ boyfriend, and she was not going to hand him over, nor his cooking, to a bunch of giggling and big-breasted hussies!

Still, the way he deliberately avoided looking at the not-so subtly flirting students made her blush slightly when she realized that instead of acting like any other male, her boyfriend was avoiding looking at them altogether, and she realized that it was because he was determined to be one hundred percent faithful to her.

That realization sent the same jolt of desire she had experienced before down her spine. After all, she was already fifteen, and was almost sexually mature, so it was no wonder that she did feel some… _needs_. Unlike Akeno, who seemed to search for someone who could tolerate her SM tendencies (her money was on Issei, the pervert would tolerate anything if it got him a girl with a rack like the Vice-president's), or Rias, who wanted someone to love her for herself and not the Heiress of the Gremorys, she only wanted someone who would love _her_. She was aware that she was cute, not beautiful, and that her body was not nearly as attractive as other Devil females', which was why finding Harry, who clearly loved _her_ , _and_ whom she had seen from time to time looking at her with less than pure intentions, was a boon for her. Of course, this also meant that now that she was well in love with him that she would _not_ tolerate some big-breasted floozy trying to take her man from her.

As she walked up to Harry, the other students smiling and complimenting her, his green eyes fell on her and a large smile split his face in two as he stood.

As she reached him, she heard some of the students whisper.

" _Look, it seems Toujou-san knows him!"_

 _"Do you think they're dating?"_

 _"He's obviously older, but do you see how he's looking at her? What I wouldn't give to have someone look at me like that, kyaaa!"_

Ignoring the whispers, she gave Harry a large smile, that is until her sensitive nose picked up a scent that she had not smelt in a long time. The scent of her sister. It was literally _all over_ Harry, though thankfully, she didn't smell anything else, which meant that they hadn't had sex at least, and given the way he was acting, it was clear that she had done nothing to him.

However, this also meant that she needed to stake her claim, right then and there. Before Harry could open his mouth, she had let her school bag fall to the ground, grabbed his collar, and dragged him down in a passionate kiss under the eyes of every student in the vicinity. And it was not a simple kiss either, she was determined to make sure that every Devil girl that ever came within a ten feet radius of Harry knew that she had staked her claim. The fact was that she was also enjoying immensely the kiss, as her boyfriend, while not much more experienced than her, still had enough skill to make her toes curl, and as they kissed, she reminded himself that she might need to change a certain part of her clothing once she got home.

So lost that they were in their kiss, they didn't realize that the Student Council, who didn't tolerate disturbances on school grounds, had been approaching, while also shooing the students, telling them to leave, until someone gave a harsh cough right behind her.

With some irritation, she let go of her boyfriend, although she was happy to see that his eyes told her he had enjoyed the experience just as much as she had. The fact that she could tell that he had a massive hard-on, although his pants hid it well, was just icing on the cake.

" _Koneko-san, you are certainly the last person I expected to be causing trouble on the school grounds,"_ idly commented Sona Sitri. Heiress to the Sitri House, she was much in the same situation than Rias, a powerful young Devil with an older Sibling who was a Maou. Although where Rias was as emotional as they came, Sona was much more aloof and calm, and has also a much more modest figure. If Rias could be called a bimbo, then Sona was the strict, glasses-wearing librarian.

" _Perhaps next time, you should take a room?_ " dryly commented the newest member of Sona's Peerage, a blond young man that she knew as Saji Genshirou. Rather unremarkable male, in her opinion, she much preferred Harry. Though the comment did have some value.

" _Thank you for the suggestion, Genshirou-senpai. Harry, let's go home. Kaichou, my apologies for the trouble."_

She then dragged her boyfriend away, under the amused eyes of the members of the Student Council, while Saji was left spluttering.

 **-Break-**

The next day saw a _very_ excited Kuroka appearing in Harry's home and hugging him for all he was worth, before she pounced on Shirone and proceeded to tearfully apologize over and over again for what she had done, or rather, _not_ done. He had of course left the house to leave them some privacy. While he was very close to his girlfriend, some things were not to be intruded upon. Still, he was glad that her name was now officially cleared. Sirzechs had been quick in dealing with those who wanted her punished, since apparently she had only killed her King because he had been threatening to use Shirone for his experiments. After hearing that, he was glad that he could take a walk, as he felt hot rage at the idea of what could have happened had the older sibling not acted.

Though the stare his girlfriend gave him when he came back and the lecherous giggles from Kuroka made him a bit hot under the collar. _That_ kind of stare should be illegal, or classified as a weapon equivalent to the most potent Veela Allure on the planet. How could a girl, admittedly one as cute as his girlfriend, cause that kind of reaction with her eyes alone? Usually a male got those kind of thoughts when they were in the bedroom, and with a very naked partner as well.

From that day onwards, he had to show the restraint of a monk, as Kuroka decided that since he was Shirone's boyfriend, and that her sister's place was too small to accommodate her, that she might as well bunk with him. Which somehow involved her leaving his flat a mess, with perfume floating around, and more encounters of a nearly naked (or naked) Nekoshou than what was healthy for a backed up teenager like him. He learnt the hard way that the older female thought that underwear was optional, and with that avoided her like the plague, since she had a propensity to take very _risky_ positions, allowing him to see things that would have had Issei pouncing on the older woman right away. Seriously, Kuroka seemed to take delight into embarrassing him, and into turning every conversation into innuendos that left him stuttering and hot under the collar.

Worse, while Kuroka felt she could tease him, she had apparently begun giving "advice" to Shirone into how to seduce him, and while his girlfriend most certainly didn't listen to the most extreme ones, she _had_ gotten unusually bold, as well as more physically affectionate. By no means did it reach how bad her older sister was, it was still more than enough to have him cursing the older Nekoshou for teaching her the art of seduction. Since she was much stronger than him physically, he had little hope to escape her when she was decided, and more than once had their evenings ended with the couple on Harry's bed and making out heatedly. It was fortunate that both of them knew the meaning of restraint, otherwise they both knew they would have lost their virginities a while ago.

But the changes were not only in their relationship. Harry's tongue-lashing of Rias, as unpleasant as it had been for those involved, had allowed the redhead to realize that it was high time for her to truly help the members of her Peerage. While no groundbreaking progress had been made, both Yuuto and Akeno had begun talking of their problems from what Shirone told him, and, surprisingly, felt that it was all right for him to know about their pasts.

Yuuto was the sole survivor of a project from the Church to create artificial Excalibur users, which had left him with a loathing of the Church and of the blades created from the original Excalibur, which had apparently been destroyed long ago. Harry had had a lengthy discussion with him, and while no psychologist, he had given the blond some advice. It was clear as day that with his hatred consuming him, he would have left Rias' Peerage the moment he felt he could exact his revenge, and he had reminded the Knight that he had not been saved to waste his opportunity of a new life mindlessly hating a sword. He _had_ been honest and told him that he felt he was right to want revenge, but he had advised the younger teen to have it by living a happy life, and when came the time to actually take a step towards his vengeance, to let the other members of the Peerage help him. And while the blond seemed rather hesitant at that prospect, the encouragements from everyone else in the club seemed to have made him consider the idea at least.

Akeno, for her part, had admitted to have been born half-Fallen Angel, due to her father being Barakiel, one of the leaders of the Fallen Angel faction. Yet the young woman hated her father, as apparently enemies of the man had found her mother and her when he was away, and Akeno's mother had been killed in front of her, trying to protect her. From that day onwards she had hated Barakiel and all Fallen Angels, even herself. Her case had been actually easier to manage for Harry, as he had taken the young woman aside, and spent an entire afternoon speaking with her. He had told her that while it was her right to hate her father, that the man _was_ fallible, and that it was in no way his fault that Shuri, Akeno's mother and the man's wife, was dead. Other arguments were given, but essentially, and after awkwardly comforting the crying young woman, she had agreed to at least hear the man out the next time he tried to contact her. That, and she had begun to tentatively use the powers her heritage had granted her. The unfortunate side-effect had been that the teasing young woman seemed to have become somewhat infatuated with him, and while he had tried to dodge that particular bullet by sending Issei her way, it just didn't seem to do the trick.

At least Shirone had told him that she understood, well right after kissing him senseless for almost five minutes straight. She was also _much_ clingier than before, and seemed to be making sure that her upperclassman knew above all doubts that he was _hers_. He was beginning to be at the end of his rope, as even if he possessed willpower that men decades his seniors couldn't boast of, he was still a young man in his late teens, and thus the perpetual teasing of Akeno, added to his girlfriend's efforts to be as close to him as possible, had left him climbing up the walls by sheer sexual frustration. There was only so much he could take after having his girlfriend sleeping with him in the same bed, with pajamas that left little to the imagination, or having a teasing Akeno pressing her breasts against his back.

He was fortunate that Fate decided to throw a wrench in his peaceful life at that moment…

 **-Break-**

"You have to what?" he asked.

It was the evening, and Shirone had just dropped by, looking rather peeved at something or someone. It had taken him a good half-hour to calm her down, with homemade sweets and a _lot_ of head petting, but he had managed to get the story from her.

Apparently, Rias was engaged to a chauvinistic jerk coming from a noble Devil family, and had no wish to actually marry someone who was, from what his girlfriend had told him, essentially a man-slut. This meant that the only option she had to be free of the marriage, which had apparently been moved from far in the future to the immediate future, was to defeat the man in a Rating Game, basically a simulation of a fight.

The thing was, that Rias only had half of her Peerage, no experience in Rating Games, and all her pieces had little in the way of combat experience, most of it from facing Stray Devils, who were barely intelligent beasts in the first place. Not to mention that Raiser, her fiancé, came from the Phenex family, whose traits were the ability to use Phoenix fire, and to regenerate almost any kind of damage done to them, which did not bode well for Rias' chances. Which was why the redhead had gotten ten days to train her Peerage before the Rating Game.

This meant that Shirone had to follow Rias and train for the upcoming game. And he knew better than to try and dissuade her from doing so. While Rias hadn't helped her from her depression, she _had_ taken care of her, made sure that she missed nothing, and shown her affection when she had desperately needed it. Still, it didn't mean he had to like the idea of his girlfriend having to fight, but what could he do? It wasn't as if he had the power necessary to help her, or even to train her.

Suddenly, a figurative lightbulb lit above his head, and he began grinning.

 **-Break-**

Raiser Phenex fumed as he was treated. It had been going on so well! His parents had managed to have the wedding, which should have been years in the future, scheduled back for only a few weeks away, and all he would have needed to do was win a Rating Game against his lovely Rias, who had no experience in fighting, or even had a full Peerage. Not to mention that it was commonly known that she not only couldn't use one of her Bishops, but also that two out of the remaining pieces simply _refused_ to use their full power. Heck, even the Sekiryuutei had been a joke, a weak pervert with no aptitude for fighting whatsoever! _And_ , to top it all, it was clear as day that Rias was still a complete amateur when it came to planning a fight, she was far too attached to her pieces to be able to use them effectively, all he had to do in the event of a possible defeat would have been to threaten one of her Servants to get her to resign!

So, how had he been defeated! His entire Peerage had been taken down without even being able to put so much as a scratch on _any_ of Rias' pieces! Yubelluna had been taken out at the start of the match, fried by _Holy Lightning_ of all things, soon followed by Ravel, Siris and Karlamine. _That_ had been enough of a shock that he didn't react in time to warn his pawns, which were taken out by Rias' knight, after a pitiful match where his speed allowed him to defeat them before they could even react. Both his Rooks, which at that point had regrouped, had been knocked out by Rias' own, the Nekoshou using a very basic form of Senjutsu and Youjutsu to great effect.

Still, he was a Phenex, and he was confident that even with only him facing off Rias and her entire Peerage, he would be able to defeat them quickly. That was until he was drenched in Holy Water, targeted by Holy Lightning, further weakened by Senjutsu, and then _obliterated_ by Rias' Power of Destruction, which had been Boosted by her worthless Pawn.

He ground his teeth together. How could this have happened?! His information was up to date with what was known of her Peerage, yet they had all shown abilities that they were either not possessing before, or well-known to refuse to use!

With a growl, he pushed back the nurses fussing over him, leaving the room and walking down the corridor towards the room used by his former fiancée and her Peerage. He had heard enough from them to know that their victory had involved the help of a wizard, and by Lucifer even if he couldn't touch Rias or her Peerage, he was going to _kill_ the one who helped them, if only to make sure that he never again defied him!

 **-Break-**

Harry was currently on the ground, with a very happy Shirone kissing him for all he was worth, while Rias and her Peerage were looking at him with fond exasperation. After all, while he hadn't participated in the Rating Game, he was the reason they had won in the first place. It had been clear as day that in their current state, Rias' Peerage wouldn't win, not when they had no actual combat experience and were only just starting to use their powers in Shirone and Akeno's cases, and still had trouble using their full power in Issei and Kiba's cases.

So he had applied the method he would have liked to see Dumbledore use with him: rigorous training. While he himself was weak, Nyx was not, and was more than willing to help. While she didn't leave Teddy's side at Harry's request, she had summoned several souls of the dead, people who had the skills necessary to teach Rias' Peerage, as well as himself, since he didn't want to sit by idly while his girlfriend was training, plus he had to start somewhere if he wished to grow stronger.

The training had been brutal, each one of them ending the day too exhausted to even stand, but growing by leaps and bounds. He also _may_ have taken some petty revenge by having Rias run into the ground by the souls Nyx had picked, if only as revenge for nearly killing him. If it could also help keep his girlfriend out of the reach of Raiser while teaching the redhead some humility, it was all the better. Add to this that another few souls had told them all they needed to know about the Phenex's powers and their limits, as well as the weaknesses they could exploit, had allowed them to form a good plan of attack. Finally, and to make sure his girlfriend and her friends were safe, Harry had, with some tutoring, woven specific enchantments in their clothes to make sure that they were protected from the worse of the damage, even if it had proven unneeded.

He was actually a bit disappointed by how easy the match had gone, but he guessed that Raiser had been true to himself and been too overconfident to truly prepare himself. He actually reminded Harry of Malfoy, one with more success with the ladies and more power, but essentially the same, the chauvinistic attitude added. He had the power necessary to end the match by himself, but had wasted the opportunity by using his pieces and using a strategy that clearly relied on the fact that Rias' Peerage was weak and unexperienced.

He was startled out of his reminiscing when another body joined his girlfriend and him on the ground, Rias actually hugging him. It was fortunate that she had seemed to be developing an infatuation with Issei (even if he hardly understood what she saw in the pervert outside of his good heart), or else he would have worried that he was going to fend off the advances of yet _another_ Devil young woman, which would undoubtedly have made Shirone mad.

Eventually, Rias seemed to realize that Issei was glaring at him enviously, as she coughed and swiftly made her way to his side, while a smirking Akeno proceeded to tease the redhead with innuendos that seemed to be completely missed by the pervert.

Just as he started to laugh as Issei had just put his foot in his mouth, the door banged open, showing the enraged figure of Raiser Phenex. At his appearance, the room's atmosphere cooled faster than a drink put in an absolute zero environment, all those present glaring at the blond whose eyes seemed to be searching for something, that is until they fell on him.

Upon seeing him, the young man's mouth twisted in a snarl as his arms were engulfed in fire.

 _"You lowly human trash! You made me lose my beloved Rias! She was mine, yet you somehow cheated and allowed her to win! DIE!"_

As a giant fireball was sent his way, Harry did the same thing he always did: he assured the safety of others before his own. Knowing that he had no shield able to block the fire, he chose to grab Shirone, the surprised girl having no time to react as she was bodily thrown towards Rias, leaving himself completely exposed.

Had he been able to, he would have used the gift bestowed to him by Nyx, but he couldn't. She had been _very_ clear that whenever he used her gift, it would take a while before he had enough energy to use it again, which meant that he couldn't use it at the moment, leaving him completely defenseless. And given the size of the fireball, he doubted any shield he could have created on his own would have resisted it.

Then the fireball hit. Unlike those Raiser had used at one point in the Rating Game, this one was not made to injure, it was designed to kill, and nothing else. Add to that, that the Devil's anger had fueled the attack and had made him deliberately overpower it, the fireball actually exploded and flooded a good half of the room with flames, starting with the one unfortunate enough to be at the ground zero: Harry.

As he was lit on fire, there was a brief shriek of pure _agony_ , before it was silenced by the roaring flames. Now, usually the fire would have prompted those around it to reflexively step back, however in this case Shirone had to be forcefully restrained as she tried to jump _right into_ it, screaming Harry's name, her Rook strength forcing Rias to knock her out after a brief struggle, when she realized there was no restraining the distraught Rook. Although by the time she was done, she was surrounded by a black and red aura, the entire room shaking with the expression of her power as she glared at the smug Phenex, while Devil servants hastily put out the fire.

 _"Raiser…"_ hissed the redhead, her voice _dripping_ venom and her power lashing out, making her no less angered (or in Asia's case, distraught) servants step back to avoid losing a limb _, "Why did you do this?! WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?!"_ she roared, as she barely restrained herself from leaping at the smirking blond. The crackling of electricity told all those present that Akeno was of the same mind than her King, as the Queen had been infatuated with the youth who had accepted her and helped her accept herself, saving her from her self-loathing and allowing her to see how badly she had been handicapping herself by refusing to use her Fallen Angel heritage.

 _"Rias…"_ smirked Raiser, gesturing to the pile of ash where Harry had been, _"I felt that there was a need to remind the human trash of why they shouldn't mess with their betters. Do feel free to resurrect him as your servant, however."_

His smirk grew as he said that, all those present knowing perfectly well that there was no resurrecting someone who had seen their body reduced to ashes. For the Evil Pieces to work, there needed to be something to work with, a body in somewhat acceptable condition, or else the attempt was useless.

 _"This isn't over Raiser, your actions were uncalled for!"_ warned the redhead, only to receive a scoff from her former fiancé.

 _"Please, the Elders will never punish me for dealing with human trash like this. If he hadn't been so weak, perhaps they would have said something, but as it is all that boy was, was a weak,_ worthless monkey _."_

At those words, Akeno snarled, and made to attack him, only to be restrained by a scowling Kiba, who seemed to be pained to have to be the voice of reason as his friend struggled against his grip.

 _"What is going on?"_ asked a cold voice, making those present turn their head to see Grayfia, the silver-haired maid looking at the furious and distraught Occult Club, and at the smirking Phenex. Her eyes darted around the room, allowing the centuries-old Devil to quickly understand what had happened, and further lowering her opinion on the redhead's former fiancé. She had never liked the youth, who believed himself to be above others due to a power he had inherited from birth and never really bothered to train, and acted like a spoiled man-whore.

However, she had to admit that even for him, what he had done was low. Taking out his anger on someone who only had the barest ties to his defeat, and whom he _knew_ couldn't defend himself against him, was the action of a spineless coward, a category of people she despised. Add to this that it had been done with the clear intent to cause emotional pain to Rias, despite the fact that it would be her Rook who would suffer the most from it, and she had every reason to feel disgusted. Unfortunately, there was little they could do, as Harry was a human, and thus, nobody of importance to the Elders, who would likely simply let Raiser go with a slap on the wrist.

 _"Nothing,"_ curtly replied the blond, smirking, " _I was just taking care of a personal matter, I will be taking my leave now."_

Just as she was opening her mouth to tell him to stay, that her husband would likely want to have some words with him over his actions and for deliberately hurting his sister, a pulse of power washed over the room, making everyone but Grayfia kneel as an oppressive aura made itself known, and even then the Devil maid was struggling to appear impassive, beads of sweat appearing on her pale skin as she was forced to extend her power to shield herself, and, to an extent, the other people in the room, from the effects of the aura.

The effects of said aura were easy to see, however, as the furniture began showing signs of rot, curtains turning to dust and windows exploding as it progressively got stronger. Then, when it was almost too much for even Grayfia to ignore, a pitch black oval appeared on the ground, as if someone had drained all light from a portion of the floor. The darkness seemed to throb a few times, before beginning to take a shape, and soon, a woman was standing in the middle of the room, where they had previously been nobody, her appearance drawing gasps from the Occult club.

For indeed, her appearance was very peculiar. Standing at a good six feet, she was slender, with curves that while not as outrageous as Akeno's or Rias', were still noticeable, and also much more proportioned to her body, giving her a lithe but attractive appearance. She looked like she was in her early twenties at most, with a refined face and delicate traits, porcelain skin without a single blemish, and long, raven black hair that fell down her back in a wild mane that still managed to look dignified. She was clad in black jeans with leather boots, and had a shirt picturing what those present believed to be a rock group, with a leather jacket over it. Yet despite the casual clothing, this woman exuded a presence of utter nobility, and those present felt the urge to kneel, some resisting it more than others. However, more than her clothing, the most striking feature of the newcomer were her deep, emerald green eyes, eyes of a shade perfectly identical to Harry's.

While they were gaping at her, or in Grayfia's case, observing her cautiously since she had a good idea of who the raven-haired woman was, said woman turned to the pile of ash that had been Harry, the servant who had been about to scoop it up to throw it away hastily backing away after a glare from the emerald eyes. The woman then sighed, before raising a hand and placing it above the ash, a soft light emitting from said hand and basking the pile with a warm glow.

"Honestly, Harry…" she sighed, talking to herself, "Always getting in trouble…Let's see…While I'm at it, I should improve him a little, can't have a midget for a Master…Yes, maybe that too, his girlfriend will thank me later…"

As she mumbled, the ash seemed to come alive, forming a human silhouette. Under the fascinated eyes of those present, a body started to form, slowly at first, then faster and faster as the process grew close to its' completion, the woman's eyes never straying from her task, staring at the body with a laser-like intensity.

Soon, the ash had formed Harry's body, although it was clearly different from the Harry they knew. He was a good feet taller, and also more defined than before, it was visible even through his clothes, which fortunately, seemed to have grown with him. His hair was also longer, falling in spiky locks down to just below his neck, giving him a slightly wild look.

Eventually, the body was finished, and the woman flicked her finger, making it twitch before it began breathing.

"And done," smiled the woman, before standing up, and turned to look at the Occult Club with a smile, "Don't worry, he'll live. He's going to be unconscious for a while though, I made sure to erase his death from his memory, but his mind will need some time to adjust."

The ORC seemed to sag with relief, either because they liked Harry or because they didn't want to see their underclassman break down after being told that her boyfriend had been killed, _right in front of her_ no less.

Although there was caution in the way the older members of the club stared at the newcomer. It was easy for them to understand _who_ she was, especially since Harry had explained the situation to them, and they were acutely aware of the fact that even diminished, she was more than able to crush them without a second thought if she ever wanted to. Fortunately, it seemed that Koneko's boyfriend had told them the truth and that Nyx was no longer the vicious Goddess of Death she had once been. While her presence still radiated danger, sending warning signals in all their brains due to her energy being closely tied to Death, there was also a certain warmth to it, one that was almost motherly.

" _Hello, my lovely lady_ ," purred an unwelcome voice, making Nyx glance in the direction of Raiser, before a feral grin appeared on her face as she turned to face him.

" _And who might you be_?" she asked, her voice a throaty purr that sent shivers down the spine of those present except for Raiser, who seemed too interested in ogling her to pay attention to his instincts and exert caution.

 _"I am Raiser Phenex, from the House of Phenex, one of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the Underworld. It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady."_

 _"Why, what a charmer!"_ smiled Nyx, putting her hand on her cheek like a demure lady, although the motion reminded many in the ORC of Akeno when she was teasing someone, _"Such a shame that you are nothing more than garbage…"_

Those present could only watch as all color drained from Raiser's face as Nyx allowed the full brunt of her power to hit him, while she dropped her pleasant façade and stared at him with an almost manic smile.

 _"Tell me, Raiser Phenex, do you have any idea of what you did when you_ _ **murdered my Master?"**_

By the end of her phrase, Nyx's voice had grown deeper, with an echoing quality to it, while it also conveyed just how absolutely _furious_ she was, as did the fact that the ground beneath her feet had begun crumbling into dust.

 _"_ _ **No?"**_ she asked, taking a step towards the now terrified Devil, Grayfia not moving an inch to intervene, the Strongest Queen more than aware that if she interfered she would only make things worse. Her husband had been _very_ clear on _not_ antagonizing the Goddess if they ever met, as while he believed that Harry might be right, he was still convinced that a remnant of her ancient personality would still be present, meaning that she would not hesitate to attack and kill all those she felt had slighted her.

 _"_ _ **Then perhaps I should educate you, Phenex!**_ _"_

Before anyone could move, both Nyx and Raiser vanished, the disappearance of the Goddess of Death allowing those present to breathe again.

 _"I almost pity him,"_ mumbled Yuuto, only to deadpan at the incredulous stares he was receiving, _"I said_ almost _."_

 **-Break-**

As it turned out, and unlike what they had expected from Nyx, she did not kill Raiser, though given the state he was in when they returned, it was clear that she had conveyed how _displeased_ with his actions she was, as the young Devil was a quivering wreck. While they didn't know _what_ she had subjected him to, it was clear that it had done wonders for the Devil's ego and behavior, as the very first thing he did upon seeing Rias was prostrate himself and apologize heartily to her for his actions, both towards her and her Peerage. And while Harry was still unconscious, Shirone had awoken shortly before the pair came back, and as such accepted his apologies with a glare that promised untold amounts of pain if he ever acted against her boyfriend again.

Once the Phenex had left, still trembling, Shirone turned to look at Nyx. While Harry hadn't really spoken about her whenever they were together, the few mentions he had made were with an unmistakable fondness in his voice, and given what she had been told about the Goddess resurrecting him, it was clear that she held some degree of affection for him as well. Which was why she bowed low in front of Nyx.

 _"Thank you,"_ was all she said, and she meant it.

Even if it was possible that she was only looking after Harry because his safety allowed her to have a life, she had still resurrected him, as well as made sure that his body recovered from what had happened to it over the course of his life, which had not been in any way something she was forced to do.

 _"Oh, don't worry, I don't mind, Harry's life is ever so interesting, and I admit that his Godson is a true little angel. I owe him much more than he owes me, even if he isn't aware of it, so take care of him, Shirone, he deserves it."_

 _"I will,"_ was the soft answer of the Nekoshou.

 _"Good, now, excuse me, I have to return to Teddy's side, the dear boy has been driving his grandmother up the walls recently, and I am the only one he listens to outside of Harry."_

As darkness coalesced once more under her feet, the Goddess of Death gave Shirone a wide grin.

 _"And Shirone, for your information: six inches. A little present from me to the both of you. Enjoy yourself! Bye!"_

As she disappeared through the portal, a very confused Asia looked at a very red Rias, while a flushed Akeno was rubbing her thighs together and Shirone gaped at the place the Goddess had been standing before she disappeared:

 _"Buchou, what did she mean?"_

 _"Don't worry Asia, I'll tell you when you're older."_

 _"Hai?"_

 **-Break-**

The first thing Harry was aware of when he woke up, was that he was tucked in his bed, with a warm body cuddled up next to him. He blearily blinked, his mind jumbled and failing to process how he had ended in a bed. He remembered that the Rating Game deciding of Rias' fate had been won by the redhead, who had been very happy and had hugged the stuffing out of him for helping them, that Shirone had then taken her place, and then that Rias' former fiancé had barged in the room they had been in, but nothing after that.

As if sensing his rising panic at the idea that something may have happened, Shirone poked her head from under the covers, her white cat ears twitching and her hazel eyes staring at him with relief.

 _"Shirone?"_ he asked, not really bothered by the fact that she was in the same bed as him. After all, at this point she slept in his bed every other night, and they were well on their way to taking their relationship at the next level, although he was rather reluctant to do so. Still, having her in bed with him was not out of the ordinary, what was though, was the relief with which she was looking at him.

 _"HARRY!"_

With that battlecry, the white-haired Nekoshou proceeded to hug him for all he was worth, her superior strength making it futile for him to struggle and do anything but accept the hug.

He was about to ask what was going on when the sound of a door banging open startled him, only to find the entire Occult Research Club standing in the entrance, all of them having the same relieved face than his girlfriend. He was even a bit surprised to see Asia crying, the blonde nun looking very happy for some reason.

 _"Are you alright, Harry-kun?"_ asked a concerned-looking Rias, although she seemed unwilling to approach the bed for some reason.

" _Yes?_ " he answered, scratching the back of his head as his girlfriend nuzzled his stomach, " _Err, can someone tell me what happened? All I remember is the flaming chicken barging in the room, and then nothing. He didn't do anything to you, did he?"_

" _No, he didn't, actually, he was focused on you…To be blunt, Harry-kun, he killed you in a fit of rage, and Nyx resurrected you. She also made sure that Raiser will never try something like this again, the last I heard from him, he was so terrified that he can barely stand stepping outside of the family estate."_

Unlike what they had expected, Harry didn't seem all that shocked at the announcement of his death, in fact he seemed more angry than anything else, and even then it didn't seem directed towards Raiser, well at least not entirely.

" _Damn. I knew I wasn't up to stuff, but to be killed so easily kinda makes me feel bad. I'll have to step up my training then,"_ he mused, talking more to himself than to the Devils in the room, although they all heard him.

" _Are you sure you are alright, Harry?"_ asked Akeno, who had sat at the very edge of the bed, making Shirone give her a warning glare. The busty beauty seemed truly concerned, not very surprising considering that she had made her interest in the wizard clear.

" _Um? Yeah? I mean, it's not the first time I die, though I admit that this time was even weirder than last time…At least this time I didn't end up in King's Cross again, and there was no Dumbledore either…Anyway, thanks for worrying about me, but I feel fine, it's just a bit weird to not remember what happened."_

 _"That's a relief,"_ smiled Rias, " _Rest, Harry-kun, you deserve it. I'll see with my brother if he can't spare some members of his Peerage for training us, and you are of course welcome to join us when you feel better."_

He nodded, watching as the Devils left. Yuuto gave a him a small wave, while Akeno simply winked at him, mouthing "six inches" for some reason, before closing the door, leaving him alone with his girlfriend, who was contentedly rubbing her head on his stomach, purring.

 _"Shirone?"_

At the sound of his voice, she seemed to snap out of her trance, and looked up at him, her hazel eyes staring straight into his green eyes. Her hand gripped his shirt, and she sat on his lap, staring up at him.

" _I was so worried…"_

He felt his heart ache at how _distraught_ she seemed, how utterly devastated she sounded. He knew that she was still emotionally fragile, even now that she had somewhat reconciled with Kuroka. A trauma like the one she had experienced left deep scars, he knew it firsthand, and it was clear as day that she was terrified at the idea that for a moment, she had lost him.

" _I'm sorry…"_ she whispered, " _I couldn't do anything…"_

 _"It's alright, Shirone. Rias was there too, Akeno as well, and they couldn't do a thing either. You don't have anything to reproach to yourself."_

He didn't see the subtle twitch of his girlfriend's ears, nor did he have time to react when Shirone grabbed him and kissed him aggressively, using her Rook strength to pin his arms on the bed and prevent him from moving. He realized, a bit late unfortunately, that mentioning the two older girls might have been a bad idea. Akeno had been very open in her interest of him, and Rias _had_ hugged him after the Rating Game, which was likely a cause of jealousy for his girlfriend.

" _You…are…mine!"_ she hissed between kisses, " _I won't let anyone take you from me!"_

 _"Shirone…"_ he tried to explain, " _Akeno is just teasing you, I'm sure she wouldn't try to take you from me."_

 _"You don't know her!"_ hissed the Nekoshou, " _She has everyone wrapped around her finger! She's beautiful! She has big breasts! She's everything I'm_ not _!"_

He inwardly sighed. He knew that Shirone was _very_ sensitive about her figure, what with being surrounded by beautiful and big-breasted women almost all her life. Even her own sister had a figure that would make any man sell their parents for a chance to have sex with her, while she herself was a different type of beauty. To be honest, he much preferred her looks to those of Kuroka or Akeno, as he was not overly fond of stupidly large breasts. He had told her time after time that to him, she was the most beautiful woman alive, yet even now she had trouble believing him.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the teary-eyed for of his girlfriend. Clad in her school uniform, likely the one she had worn for the Rating Game, she was beautiful, and yet she was utterly convinced of the contrary, which was what he intended to correct. He was a bit uncomfortable about how he would be doing so, but he refused to let her believe that she was anything but the one he loved the most.

Softly kissing her, his hands came to unbutton her shirt, making her stiffen in shock as she looked up at him tentatively.

" _Shirone, no matter what you believe, you are beautiful to me. I don't like having to go this far to convince you of it, but if it's what it takes to make you realize that I would never cheat on you with anyone, then I'll do it."_

By the time he had finished, he had completely unbuttoned the shirt, and, slowly, slid it off her shoulders, leaving her in a sport's bra of the same color than her hair, while she looked up at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Whenever they had made out previously, they had always had at least a shirt and pants off, which was why what he was doing was a step up from that.

" _Harry…"_

His hands came to trace the underside of her breasts, making her breath hitch.

" _I don't care that Akeno or Rias have bigger breasts, all I care about is you, and in my eyes you're a hundred times as beautiful as either of them. At least you won't smother me to death whenever we hug."_

Then, his hands went down her back, making her shiver as they brushed against the point her tail was springing from, slightly above her rump, and she slumped on him, her ears twitching rapidly, trying to bite back a moan. All Nekoshou were highly sensitive at that spot, so much so that it was almost universally accepted that touching it was the closest thing to sex they could have without actually having sexual intercourse.

" _I don't care if you don't have a huge backside either, I find that what you have is more than enough to drive me up the walls whenever I stare at it…"_

He stopped when he felt something wet on his shirt. A bit panicked that he might have upset his girlfriend, he immediately stopped his ministrations.

" _Shirone, are you alright? I'm sorry if I surprised you, I didn't want to upset you!"_

The last thing he saw what his girlfriend's teary eyes before he was glomped.

 **-Break-**

Rias felt her eyebrow twitch at the sight that greeted her when they came back from the gruesome training her brother's Peerage had subjected them to. While they were trying hard to look innocent, the flushed look on both Harry and Shirone's face was a rather good indicator that _something_ had happened when they weren't there, and she had a rather good idea as to _what_ that something was. Still, as Harry had pointed out, she had no right to dictate her Rook's life, and given the wide smile she had on her face, it was clear that she couldn't be happier.

Sighing, she gave the pair a deadpan stare.

" _Please tell me you at least used protection."_

She was unsurprised when Issei's eyes snapped to stare at the pair, looking disbelieving, while Asia looked like she didn't understand what she had just implied. Yuuto, for his part, seemed distinctly uncomfortable at the topic of conversation, while Akeno looked like the cat who caught the canary.

" _Ano, Buchou? Why would Harry-san and Koneko-san need to use protection? Were they training?"_ asked Asia, her eyes travelling from the pair to her.

 _"Ara, ara, but of course, Asia-chan,"_ smiled Akeno, who was giving the blushing pair a hungry look, _"they were training_ very _hard_. _In fact, I'll think I'll join the next time they…train."_

" _Shiiiiit!"_ wailed Issei, pointing an accusing finger at Harry, " _You damn bishonen, you're cheating! You can't have a Harem before me! It's against the rules!"_

 _Well,_ Rias mused, watching as chaos unfolded, _At least it's she's happy now._

 **-Break-**

The following months saw a rather startling evolution in the dynamics of the Occult Research Club, as well as their relationship with Harry. Due to the wizard's death after the Rating Game, the members of the ORC had been made acutely aware that they could die at any time, and that there was a real need for them to become stronger, lest they one day find themselves faced with foes they had no hope of winning against. This had spurred all of them to train, and train hard.

The one who had seen the most change though, was Rias herself. She had been made aware of her failings, both as a King as a Devil, and after a _long_ discussion with Harry, one that had seen more than a few shouts and barbs being exchanged due to the passionate nature of both the Devil and the wizard, the redhead had accepted her failings and apologized for her earlier actions. While this usually wouldn't have been enough to quell Harry's anger at having almost being made to forget his girlfriend as well as the fact that he had almost died, he had accepted her apology. He had been rather forced to, as he loved Shirone and didn't want her to see them always at each other's throats. That and the redhead seemed to genuinely regret her actions, so he couldn't keep it against her without being a hypocrite, since he himself had done some rather brash things in his life.

Now that they could each tolerate the other's presence without the ghost of Rias' past actions in the way, Harry had been able to give some pointers to the redhead, as he had noticed that her control over the Power of Destruction was sloppy at best. Reviewing the Rating Game against Raiser had allowed him to point out that there was no refinement in her way of using it, just brute force. She basically blasted her enemies with a single, powerful blast, but if said blast wasn't enough to incapacitate her foes, she became entirely defenseless. This had forced her to ask Sirzechs for pointers, and the Maou had been happy to help her.

On a side note, Harry had finally felt vindicated for what the man had put him through when he had, with great relish, detailed _exactly_ what had happened between them to Grayfia, and then had followed the maid to see her _punish_ her husband. The screams of terror and agony of the older man had been like music to his ears, and he kept the memory in a Pensieve for days when he felt a bit down. On a side note, he had made sure to remind himself to _never_ piss the silver-haired maid off. She was just _that_ scary.

All in all, it had been a rather nice few months, made even better by the newfound intimacy between Shirone and him. At first, he had been a bit panicked, feeling afraid that they might have rushed things, but Shirone had reassured him by explaining that Devils were naturally more sinful than humans, and that it was not unheard of for most of them to lose their virginity at thirteen. Their hormones were simply _that_ much more powerful than a human's. The only exceptions to that rule were heiresses like Rias, since their virginity was usually a key point of their marriage contracts, something their future husbands wanted to be able to brag about. She had also admitted that due to her nature as a Nekoshou, she was likely to go into heat at one point or another, and had felt she preferred to lose her virginity while she was still in control of herself instead of in a feat of hormone induced lust.

Unfortunately, the fact that Akeno was aware of this, had made her advances grow even bolder. Instead of "simply" being physically affectionate with him, now the raven-haired beauty seemed to no longer care about property anymore. Heck, that had never been clearer than when he had come home to find her cooking dinner for them, in an apron, with literally _nothing_ else on. The fact that she hadn't even seemed to mind that Shirone was there, glaring daggers at her, had only made matters worse.

It had come to a head when on night, both of them had been awakened by the feeling of someone settling on his other side, said someone appearing to be a completely nude Queen, smiling impishly at him. Well, she had been smiling, until she was thrown off the bed by a snarling Shirone, the younger girl almost breaking her upperclassman's bones by how strongly she was thrown at the wall. He had managed to talk them out of coming to blows, but it was only just, and they had been glaring at each other afterwards.

What truly puzzled him was that after that, the next day his girlfriend had been late from school, but when she had come, she looked a bit angry, but also much less worried than she had previously been. He would later learn that the Queen and the Rook had come to an agreement about him, and that so long as the young woman didn't try to impose on their relationship, she was _allowed_ to have a relationship with him as well. Shirone had told him that, and stressed the fact that so long as he didn't neglect her to spend all his time with the "big-breasted" Queen, she didn't mind him being in a relationship with Akeno as well. That was just _before_ she bent a steel beam in front of him and told him that there would be _consequences_ if he forgot _she_ was his first girlfriend, and that the Queen was his mistress. He had made a good note to _never_ forget that.

 **-Break-**

"So we have a Cadre of the Grigori who wants to kill you, and cause another Great War, using a re-forged Excalibur?" groaned Harry.

Rias nodded gravely. This was serious, far more serious than her marriage to Raiser. Kokabiel, if he succeeded, would cause the deaths of _billions_ , not only Humans, but Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils as well. It would be a conflict that would likely reshape the world in its' entirety, especially if the other pantheons got involved.

At least Kiba had managed to reign his anger in, even if he had warned the Exorcists dispatched by the Vatican that he would be destroying the Excaliburs. It was fortunate that such an action would leave the cores of the swords intact, and allow the Exorcists to bring them back, which was the main reason of their presence. He shuddered to imagine what would have happened had the blonde left to chase after the Excaliburs, it would have been pure chaos trying to both track him down and locate Kokabiel at the same time. Since Kiba had told Rias of his goals, the redhead had been able to warn Sona Sitri, the other Devil Heiress living in Kuoh, about it, and although the stern young woman was disapproving, since there was no risk of breaking the peace with it she had grudgingly allowed it.

"If he is really after you, sooner or later he is going to announce himself. From what you've told me, he seems too proud to do anything but crush you himself, so I wouldn't worry too much about searching for him. Although I think that keeping an eye on the Exorcists would be a good idea. They have Excaliburs too, and no matter how prepared they are, if Kokabiel wants to steal their swords, I don't think they can do anything about it. The best way to prevent that would be to keep an eye on them and intervene in they are in danger, plus it would certainly get some goodwill from them."

The redhead nodded at his words.

"Right."

While she would likely have never wanted to associate with the Exorcists before, given they were Devils' natural enemy, and also given how disdainful the blue-haired one had been, her experience with Harry pointing out painful truths to her had seen her reconsider her behavior. She was ashamed to realize that he had been spot on to point out that she had been acting like a spoilt princess, as she had not really trained before the sudden change of date for her marriage, despite the fact she knew a Rating Game was her only way out. So she had resolved to train harder, to be a good King for her Peerage, instead of the rather useless one she had been before.

"I'll also warn Nyx to be ready, just in case. Even if your brother and Sona's sister can't act because of the Elders, we still have her on our side, and I doubt that Kokabiel expects a Goddess of Death."

Again, before she would have refused outside help, or been extremely reluctant to accept it, but now she realized that this kind of pride could, and likely _would_ have caused her death if she hadn't been made painfully aware of her shortcomings. But she had no wish to die, and she refused to see her Peerage die because she was too headstrong to accept outside help. There was still a risk that they would die, especially considering the Angel of Stars himself was involved, but with Nyx ready to intervene in case of immediate danger, said risk was considerably lower than what it could have been.

 **-Break-**

Harry grit his teeth as he narrowly dodged a sweep from Kokabiel's wings, the cadre snarling and trying to hit him, alas to no avail. Dealing with the Fallen Angel's subordinates had been rather easy, Kiba easily killing Freed, the insane and foul-mouthed priest not prepared to deal with a motivated, and very well trained Knight. The former Exorcist had been beheaded swiftly, a single strike of the blonde's _Sword of the Betrayer_ shattering the incomplete Excalibur he used. Valper Galilei hadn't even been theirs to kill, Kokabiel himself had killed the excommunicated researcher while the man had been in an impassionate rant.

Things had become much more difficult then, what with the Fallen Angel himself deciding to fight them. As powerful as they had become thanks to their training, the Occult Research Club members were teenagers, with little experience in true fights, while the cadre had been fighting in the Great War millennia before their birth. He was simply _that_ much more experienced than them, and combined to his absurd level of power, he made for an extremely dangerous foe. Even with their additional training, it was clear as day that they didn't stand a chance against Kokabiel, unless they had a lucky shot.

"HHAHAHAHAAAAAA! GOOD, YOU CAN PUT UP A DECENT FIGHT!" cackled the Fallen Angel, sending Kiba flying with a hit to the solar plexus, the Knight gurgling as blood poured past his lips, "I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO DISAPPOINTED IF YOU COULDN'T ENTERTAIN ME!"

"KIBA!" called Rias, her face ashen at the state her Knight was in, and motioning to Asia to treat him, the nun quickly complying and Twilight Healing fixing the damage.

 _This is going nowhere, he's too fast and too skilled…_ frowned Harry, before he twitched his fingers.

He had discovered one thing during his training, and it was that what Wizardry magic lacked in power, it more than made up for in terms of diversity. Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels used magic that could always be classified in either one of three main categories: Offensive magic, Healing Magic, Enhancement Magic. They had absolutely nothing like Combat Transfiguration, or spells used to distract the enemy. Which was why he had worked tirelessly on a few skills in case they ever had to fight a superior opponent.

With a wave of his hand, his magic spread, obeying his wishes, and once more he closed on Kokabiel, who was currently mocking his girlfriend while evading her punches, while simultaneously parrying all the strikes from the blue-haired Exorcist's sword. He relentlessly attacked, Kuroka's teachings and his Senjutsu allowing him to hit hard enough that it would actually hurt the Fallen if he managed to land a hit.

Unfortunately for him, their opponent simply stopped every single one of their hits, before flexing his wings and sending them flying. Skidding back a few feet, he created an orb of lightning in his hand, ready to shock the Fallen, when a growl made Kokabiel glance behind him, to see a large, Cerberus-like dog growling at him, along with a dozen or so animals of various sizes.

With a frown, the Fallen created a light spear and skewered the first animal to attack him, a panther, only for it to bite down on his leg, not hard enough to actually harm him, but enough so to hinder his movements.

Soon, Kokabiel was busy trying to kill animals busy clawing and biting him, animals that didn't die when he hit them with his light spear.

Before the Exorcist or the members of the ORC could attack, though, he gestured for them to wait, as he took out the Elder Wand. Pumping as much magic inside it as he could, and pointing it at their foe, he roared:

"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"

The explosion that ensued was _deafening_ , fueled by enough magic to level a good-sized house and concentrated enough that even their foe should have trouble shrugging it off entirely, which was what he had been aiming for. He didn't have the power required to take Kokabiel down, none of them had, but if Issei could Boost Rias' Power of Destruction enough, with her newfound control the Crimson Princess of Ruin should manage to erase him from existence.

"Did we get him?" asked Kiba, only to jump aside as a light spear hit the ground where he had been standing moments ago.

With a flap of his wings, the Fallen dispersed the cloud of dust that had been created by Harry's spell. He was looking positively _murderous_ , his clothes torn and holding his slightly burnt chest as his red eyes glared at the wizard, promising death.

"YOU!" he roared, lifting his hand.

The night came alight with countless light spears, a staggering number of them appearing, and their soft glow illuminating the grounds. It was clear that Kokabiel had no longer the intention of going easy on them, and none of them had _anything_ that might stop the spears from skewering them.

Fortunately, Harry was not stupid enough to have believed they could take on the Fallen by themselves, even if their fight was good experience, which was why they had backup. As the snarling former Angel readied himself to eliminate them all with a rain of light spears that they had no hope to avoid or parry, a female voice echoed from above their foe.

"Well then, if it isn't little Kokabiel…"

The cadre whirled around so fast he almost left an afterimage, paling when a darkly smiling Nyx appeared, calmly floating above him. For the occasion, she was not clad in her everyday, rock-like clothes, instead she was garbed in a dark dress that hugged her curves, elegantly decorated with a few silver linings.

"YOU!" screamed the Fallen, who had gone slightly pale, "You should be sealed in the Hallows!"

"Unfortunately for you, _boy_ , my Master, whom you have been trying to kill, freed me almost a year ago, and I quite appreciate the life I have now. So do be a dear and give yourself up, will you? I will _try_ to keep your punishment light, and who knows? You might even get out of all this alive…"

A careless brush of the Goddess' hand sent the light spear sent her way flying above her head, while emerald green eyes began to thrum with power, narrowing in a cold glare that would have sent even veteran Devils running with their tails between their legs. Yet Kokabiel managed to match the glare with his own, as another light spear appeared, this time in his hands, and thrumming with more power than any of the other ones he had created.

"DAMN YOU!" he roared, launching himself towards the Goddess, the spear cocked back.

Nyx just _grinned_ , catching the spear with her bare hand, crushing it like a twig, her other hand coming to catch Kokabiel by his throat. Yet still the Fallen raged, kicking and hitting with the energy of desperation, yet to no avail, as the Goddess reached for one of his wings, and, once she held it, _tore_ it out in an explosion of flesh and blood.

"One wing down, nine more to go!" grinned Nyx, whose face had been splattered by the blood of the Fallen.

The grin on her face was ecstatic, sadistic and full of teeth, and those present were reminded that before her sealing, Nyx had _not_ been known for being nice. The way she kept ripping Kokabiel's wings off, waiting for the shock to wear off each time so as to inflict even _more_ pain to the Fallen, was clearly a deliberate torture. And yet no matter how much the cadre howled, thrashed, cursed, there was _nothing_ he could do.

Eventually, all his wings were torn off, and Nyx left him fall in the puddle of his blood that had formed under him during his torture, the Fallen's breath ragged and labored. As he tried to crawl away, a foot smacked his back, pinning him into place, and the Goddess bent forward, her soft hands gripping his right arm.

"Whoever said I was finished?"

The ORC members all turned away, Asia having already put her hands on her ears and closed her eyes tightly when Nyx had ripped off Kokabiel's first wing, but even that had been more violent than anything they had witnessed before. They had never used violence when there wasn't a need for it, nor had they prolonged the suffering of an enemy unless they needed information, but what Nyx was doing was pure torture, and they weren't comfortable with that. Outside of Harry, that is. Having some experience of war-times conditions, particularly during his stay at Malfoy Manor, he knew that sometimes such free violence was needed. Kokabiel was a rabid dog, unsalvageable, and he wouldn't have hesitated to do the same to them had _he_ won the fight.

So, instead of turning away, he watched, burning in his mind the image of what happened to those who weren't strong enough, and vowing that he would become stronger, so that neither he nor his loved ones had to suffer a similar fate.

 **-Break-**

The aftermath of Kokabiel's failed attempt to start another Great War was rather messy, what with Nyx nearly killing the Grigori's messenger, the White Dragon Emperor, the moment he broke through the barrier. Fortunately for all those involved, she managed to contain herself, and the half-dead cadre was dragged back to the Grigori, leaving the ORC and the Student Council to clean up.

It was a few days later that Rias introduced her new Knight, Xenovia, the blue-haired Exorcist having left the Church after the discovery of its' darkest secret. She was a rather nice person, Harry had decided, although she was quite blunt and lacked common sense, but that hardly mattered to him. What _did_ matter was that after what had happened with Kokabiel, the ORC members had realized that they still lacked the power to protect themselves properly, causing them to train with renewed vigor.

He himself was not left behind, as he trained as well, since he was still a bit behind his girlfriend's level, and he fully intended to catch up to her so as to not be a burden. At the moment, and while he had been quite useless during the Excalibur Incident, he was likely stronger and more powerful than both Voldemort and Dumbledore at their peaks, since Nyx' modifications to his body had allowed him to surpass the main limitation that he had as a human. No matter how powerful a wizard was, or how large his reserves were, he would have been limited by the amount of power he could channel safely. Yet Nyx had made him into something like a demigod, uplifting his physical strength, resistance, stamina, and all other characteristics to a level where he could compare to a High-Class Devil.

What he lacked now was the knowledge and instincts necessary to fully exploit his new abilities, and he was slowly building them up thanks to his girlfriend, Akeno, and even Sona Sitri, the heiress more than happy to teach him in exchange for teaching tips. It was staggering, the amount of things he could do now that he had a real grasp on his powers and the ability to fully channel them. He also made sure to train more than just his magic, as he had seen more than a few examples of how badly things ended for magic users when they faced foes their magic didn't affect and they were forced to fight in close quarters.

All in all, it was a rather pleasant period, especially when he heard that the Three Factions were going to have a peace conference at Kuoh. It meant that the tentative ceasefire that had existed until then would become a true peace, or at least something close to it. He had no doubts that groups from all three factions would splinter from them and keep fighting, since it would be foolish to hope to quell the hatred of centuries of fighting and loss so easily.

 **-Break-**

With a twitch of his fingers, Harry incinerated another Magician, while Shirone decimated a nearby group by swinging the tree she had uprooted like a club. The attack on the peace conference, as predictable as it was, was still something they had to deal with, since the Faction Leaders, while they could have stepped in, lacked the finesse necessary to not destroy the school.

It wasn't as if they couldn't deal with the grunts themselves after all, even he had little trouble with them. Hell, with Senjutsu allowing him to read the flow of the battle and his progress in both magic casting and hand to hand combat, he was having _fun_. He even had the time to watch his girlfriend pummel their enemies into the ground, and it allowed him time to think.

In a matter of months, he had been killed, resurrected, and the ORC had faced two major battles, marking giant targets on their backs since Kuoh was quickly becoming _the_ target of all those who wished to cause another Great War. And while he hoped for the best, he intended to prepare for the worst. And that meant making his relationship with Shirone a bit more official. He _refused_ to risk dying without the world knowing that he loved his girlfriend, and making sure that she would never have to work to live comfortably. Granted, with her service to the Gremory, it was doubtful that she'd need to, but he'd rather _she_ inherit his vaults than some distant relative, possibly a stuck-up Pureblood, if he ever died.

 **-Break-**

A very nervous Harry was waiting in his flat for his girlfriend to arrive. He had been debating on whether or not to do this for a while, not because he was worried about Shirone's reaction, but rather because for all his love for her, some of his own qualms about relationships remained. Still, he had made his decision, and he would stand by it. He had chosen that evening for several reasons, one of them being that it was his girlfriend's birthday and that he wanted to surprise her. He also thought that the location was appropriate, as while his relationship with the members of the Occult Research Club was good now, he felt that it was something private, and it was better to be only the two of them.

A soft crimson glow coming from a circle on the floor told him that Shirone would be arriving soon, and so he carefully reached for the inside of his pocket, where a little box could be found. He had asked the Goblins to make it, and then had asked the leaders of the Three Factions for their help in enchanting it until it was the single most powerful protective artifact he had ever seen. From what little he had been able to test it, it should be able to protect his girlfriend from any attack below Maou-class, although it would depend on how often the protections were used as they would need time to cool down before being effective again.

As the light died down, he smiled at the sight of his beautiful younger girlfriend, smiling up at him happily, her emotionless face gone for good now.

" _Good evening, Harry,"_ she smiled, greeting him with a peck on the lips.

" _Good evening, Shirone,"_ he smiled, petting her and hearing her purr when he touched the spot behind her ears that she loved to have scratched.

" _Now, before we do anything, I have a question for you, and it's very important,"_ he said, kneeling in front of the suddenly gaping Nekoshou, " _I know you're too young to be thinking about it already, and I know that even if you say yes it won't be before a while, but…you make me happy, Shirone. Before meeting you, I never thought I'd love someone so much, but I was wrong. I always felt that I had to be Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, instead of just Harry, but you showed me I was wrong, that I could live as just Harry and be happy. All I had to do, all I had to have, was you. So, what I wanted to ask was…will you consider being my wife when you're ready? To be my Lady Potter?"_

The room was silent, as the white-haired girl couldn't seem to process what was happening, her mind utterly failing to convey the words that were being spoken in favor of staring at the ring she was being presented. It was very expensive, she could see that, and her Senjutsu allowed her to sense just how powerful it was, she could tell straight away that whatever magic was imbued in it _had_ to have been contributed by either a Faction Leader, or a God(dess).

But what mattered the most to her, was what the gesture meant: Harry may not have been aware of it, but her Senjutsu allowed her to pick up his emotions, and had allowed her to realize that no matter how wonderful he was, he still doubted himself, doubted his worth. And yet here he was, asking her something that had likely taken him more courage than any single task in his life.

She felt the tears before she could stop them, giving her boyfriend the most radiant smile he had _ever_ seen, shyly extending her hand with a soft " _yes"_ , her hazel eyes telling him just how happy she was as he slipped the ring on her finger, the protections immediately identifying her and anchoring themselves.

Just as the last of the protections anchored itself, she flung herself at her boyfriend, crashing her lips on his as they rolled on the ground.

" _Thank you, thank you, thank you…"_

When she peered in his green eyes, she saw all the love he had for her, and she kissed him again.

" _I love you, Harry Potter."_

Then, faster that her Rook status would allow, she lifted him up, and with a smile, dragged him to the bedroom, intent on showing her appreciation to her fiancé. Perhaps those _lessons_ Kuroka had insisted on giving her could be put to use, now…

* * *

 **A few clarifications might be in order:  
**

 **-WHAT? HARRY HAS SEX WITH SHIRONE WHEN SHE'S A LOLI AND ONLY FIFTEEN? Well, yeah, he does. It happens in human society, and Devils being naturally more sinful than Humans, I don't see why their hormones shouldn't be much stronger than ours. Not to mention that Shirone knows she'll go into heat at one point or another, so I think she'd rather have her first time when she's in control of herself and not obsessed with the idea of mating at all costs. Also, Harry is the kind of guy who's attracted to a person's self, not the outside (though Shirone IS slightly developped, just not as much as the other girls in DxD who are wet dreams walking).**

 **-PPFFF. HARRY GOT KILLED BY RAISER TOO EASILY. Remember, at that point, he has just started training, and isn't able to call on Nyx's power to protect himself since he hasn't "recharged" yet. So yeah, it was an obvious insta-kill.**

 **-WHAT? HARRY DOESN'T OBLITERATE KOKABIEL WITH A FLICK OF HIS FINGER? No, he doesn't. He's not yet as strong as the other ORC members like Akeno and Rias, who struggled against Kokabiel in canon, even when Issei Boosted Rias' Power of Destruction. He has a lot more power than the average wizard, enough to rival a High Class Devil, but he has no idea on how to use it outside of supercharging Wizard spells. And Kokabiel is at least Ultimate-Class, plus he has a lot of experience.**

 **-HARRY ASKS SHIRONE TO MARRY HIM SO YOUNG? Well, he's gotten killed and resurrected, seen that the ORC might as well be ants to the major threats to the peace, while being targets, so yeah, he wants to officialize their relationship. Can you blame him? He is VERY aware that he, or Shirone, might die before true peace is obtained, so why wouldn't he want to ask the first girl to make him truly happy and see him for who he is, to marry him when she's ready? It's not like he asked her to marry him immediately.**

 **Well, that's about it, though I migh have forgotten a few things.**

 **Reviews are welcome, so long as they praise this story, OR criticize it while pointing out WHAT they didn't like. Pointless flames will be ignored.**

 **All that is left is the epilogue (it was always going to be a short story, so those who expected more, well sorry about that).**


	3. Chapter 3-Epilogue

**Here's the epilogue. I have an Omake in the works, but it won't be out before I'm satisfied with it, so it might take a while. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **-Epilogue-**

The wedding didn't happen before Shirone was nineteen, and in those years, she, along with Harry and her friends of the Occult Research Club, had to fight a _lot,_ stopping crisis that would have seen the world destroyed, or engaged in eternal war, making some good friends along the way. There were a few close calls, where they nearly lost someone, but they always managed to survive, either by themselves or with some help from Nyx, or, in one instance, from Ophis, the Dragon God of Infinity, and arguably one of the most powerful beings alive…Who had taken to follow Harry around like a lost puppy because she had become addicted to the cookies and cakes he baked for Shirone. A trait also shared by Lilith, an entity created from the Dragon God's power and who was more or less her sister/daughter and thus shared many traits with her progenitor.

In that time, Shirone had grown spectacularly, going from the mascot of her school to a beautiful young woman who now could rival any of the Devil girls they knew in terms of beauty. Her hair had grown, no longer worn in the bob-cut she had sported in her early years of high school, replaced with long, flowing white hair reaching just below her shoulders, framing her beautiful face with pure white locks. She had grown a second tail as well, sign that she had fully matured as a Nekoshou, and her repeated fights had allowed her to finally grasp the full potential of her power, allowing her to reach High-Class status, although she was closer to Ultimate-Class in terms of power. But perhaps the most welcome change had been her breasts. She had _finally_ a bust to be proud of, and although not as large as her sister's, she was more than satisfied with what she had, especially given the attention Harry paid to them whenever they were under the sheets. Or the fact that she didn't suffer from back pains, which she had heard were a common occurrence for Rias and Akeno due to their humongous busts, a fact that she felt no shame in admitting pleased her.

Harry too had changed. When they had begun their relationship, he had still been recovering from a lifetime of abuse, neglect, and all-around suffering, leaving him with a short fuse, and deep trust issues. Now though, he had truly become a prime example of a man, the conflicts allowing him to temper his reckless behavior and to grow into his powers. Nyx, when she had resurrected him, had apparently also made it so that he would enjoy the same lifespan as a Devil, while also fixing his body and optimizing it so that he would enjoy the maximum benefits from his training, and it showed. Standing at six feet, he now had the lean built of a swimmer, due to his focus on hit and run tactics, since he was not resistant enough to take the damage usually dealt by their foes. He now wore his hair long, which had done some good since it no longer was as untamable as before, instead looking like a raven mane and giving him a wild look. He had mastered his magic too, thanks to the tutoring of Sona who had been happy to exchange ideas for the school she intended to open in the Underworld with him, since he had some experience in teaching. Further tutoring by Kuroka had also allowed him to master Senjutsu, making him far more dangerous than Voldemort or Dumbledore had ever been, even if he was relatively average power-wise when it came to the Occult Research Club.

The ceremony in itself was a bit strange, for the reason that Nyx had allowed Harry's dead relatives to attend, which had been the occasion for some tearful reunions, as well as some good laughs when Harry's father and godfather told him that they had bet he would be going for Rias, since she was a redhead, and that "Potter men liked their redheads". Lily Potter had also proven herself to be quite mischievous, as she had mercilessly teased Shirone about what she and Harry were up to in the bedroom, bemoaning dramatically the Devil corrupting her son, before hugging the white-haired young woman and thanking her softly for what she had done for her son.

It was also the occasion for Teddy, whom the Goddess had brought with her for the occasion, to meet his parents for the first time since their death. Needless to say, much tears were shed, but Tonks and Remus were more than happy with the way their son was growing up, and did not begrudge Harry for his absence, since he had made a point to visit secretly every month, even with his hectic life. Although they had made him promise to attend the boy's birthdays, and to at least show up for Christmases, which was something he already did as often as he could, since he liked seeing his Godson.

Still, the couple to be married certainly drew a lot of attention to themselves, since both very good looking, even by supernatural standards. Harry had somewhat tamed his raven mane in a ponytail for the occasion, while wearing a simple black tuxedo that had been styled to make him look every bit the Lord he was (at least back in Britain), and more than a few of the present females were staring at him hungrily, since they were well aware that Devils could have harems, and that Shirone _might_ one day be open to the idea of sharing her future husband. The fact that Akeno _had_ managed to convince the Nekoshou to at least let Harry bed her once, was a pretty good indicator that sharing seemed to be something she at least contemplated.

Shirone, for her part, had taken a page out of her sister's book, as she had chosen to be wed in a kimono, a beautiful white one with silver linings that enhanced her natural beauty, and allowed everyone to see just how much of a beauty she had grown into. Still, the stares she got from the males present were far less obvious than those received by her future husband, as Harry had become known as a _very_ protective individual, and none wished to get on the man's bad side now that he had power equivalent to an Ultimate-Class Devil and no qualms about pranking them out of their minds (or pummeling them if the offense was serious enough).

The ceremony was short and to the point, everyone knowing that at this point, it was merely a formality as the pair had been together for four years already, yet still acted like they were only just dating, meaning that they were still very much in love with each other, and few doubted it would last a lifetime.

 **-Break-**

The wedding night had been _busy_ for the pair, as they both had stamina largely above human levels, and they were more than happy to make use of said stamina in the bedroom, especially now that there was peace. Shirone had not been shy about telling Harry that she wanted a _lot_ of children, both because she wanted to help repopulate the Nekoshou population, and because she had always wanted a large family, since all she had had since she was a child was her sister. The fact that Harry himself had always wanted a large family, having never truly had one himself, was just icing on the cake. They certainly didn't mind the fact that as a Devil, Shirone's fertility was a bit lower than what it had been when she had still been a pure-blooded Nekoshou, as it only gave them more reason to have loving sex.

Even now, four years after their first time together, it was still almost magical for them to have sex, as each knew how best to pleasure the other, and actually worked very hard to make sure that their partner had the best possible experience. And since neither of them were particularly shy around the other, mostly due to the fact that they trusted the other completely, and had been around Devils long enough to see their standards drastically change, they just had _more_ ways to make sex magical.

Eventually, they collapsed on the bed, naked as the day they were born, sweaty, and very, _very_ happy as they spooned.

"Harry?" eventually asked the Nekoshou, her tails having wrapped around her lover's legs, "What about your friends?"

Harry had not invited anyone from Britain to his wedding, and when she had asked why, he had told her to drop the matter and to trust him. But now that they _were_ married, she was curious about why he wouldn't want to share his happiness with his friends, even if he hadn't seen them in over four years.

"Hhhmm? Oh, well to be honest, I didn't invite them because they're still unaware of the Three Factions…"

True, he had never told any of them about his adventures, meaning that they all still believed themselves to be the main magical population on Earth. It was a bit amusing, really, as the reason why no wizard or witch was aware of the _true_ supernatural world, was actually because they were _far_ too weak, or behind the times, to actually make good Devils, or to truly interest anyone but a scant few individuals like Azazel, who had mainly studied their branch of magic out of curiosity.

"Actually, I was invited to a family gathering that'll be held in a few months. I was thinking that it might be a good occasion to introduce you…" he admitted, trailing his fingers down his lover's smooth legs, Shirone giving a throaty purr at the action.

She almost rolled her eyes. She could just _tell_ he would use the opportunity for a prank…


	4. Omake-Meeting the Wizards

**I don't own Harry Potter or Highschool DxD**

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Meeting the Wizards**

It was a beautiful summer day in England, without a single cloud in sight in these early July days, while the temperatures were just right, not too cold nor too warm, allowing for people to go around with just short-sleeved shirts to enjoy the rays of the sun.

Near a rickety house that seemed to defy all physics' rules, a throng of redheads, with a few people sporting different hair colors, were running around, preparing a feast for the extended Weasley clan. With Arthur and Molly having seven children, even if one had unfortunately been lost during the Battle of Hogwarts, it meant that quite a few people were present, since all their children had brought their spouses for the family reunion, along with their own children in some cases. This meant that there were already almost twenty people present, not to mention those who were considered as "honorary Weasleys".

Amongst that group were Neville Longbottom and his girlfriend, Hannah Habbot, who had become very close to the Weasleys after the Second Blood War, helping them overcome their grief at having lost Fred. Among those friends were also Luna Lovegood, who, despite having matured into a beautiful young woman, was still single, and who was currently staring at the clouds with strange glasses, taking notes.

But the most important guest, the one all those present were waiting for, Harry Potter, was not yet there. It had been already five years since any of them had seen the Man-Who-Conquered, and although he sometimes sent a letter, they were few and far between, only giving general clues about his life and only barely satisfying the overly worried Weasley females. Granted, for a while and due to the pressure of some of the remaining Death Eaters, as well as some Pureblood supporters in the Ministry, Harry had been considered a budding Dark Lord, what with nobody being able to explain _how_ he had grown so powerful so fast, or been able to defeat Voldemort, but he could at least have popped up every now and then!

So, when he had agreed to attend the Weasley family gathering, many of them had been overjoyed, a few among them harboring not-so secret amorous feelings for the green-eyed wizard. Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley was among them, although she doubted he returned those feelings, even if she wanted to confirm it before moving on, while Gabrielle Delacour, whom Fleur Weasley née Weasley had invited as a courtesy, was another.

The adults were not the only ones eager to see Harry, as the few toddlers had heard many stories about him from their parents and were thus eager to meet the man who had defeated the "bad Vol'mort", having grown something of an innocent hero worship of the green eyed wizard, if toddlers could understand the concept of hero worship anyway.

"Blimey, he isn't here yet?" grumbled Ron Weasley, who had innocently "liberated" some of his mother's food while he was helping in the kitchen, yet still seemed hungry.

"Ronald, he said he might be a little late, remember? He didn't say _where_ he was coming from, and some magical transports take a lot of time to be approved!" berated his wife, Hermione Weasley.

Neither of them had changed much from their Hogwarts years, although now Hermione wore her hair in a ponytail, mostly since it was easier to manage at her work in the Ministry. She had seriously contemplated _not_ working there once, since the people responsible for driving Harry away from Britain were either workers there or had contacts there, but in the end she had felt it was better to be in the Ministry and able to keep abreast of any developments regarding her friend's status than not working there and potentially missing information that might save him from imprisonment.

"'onestly, Ronald," chastised Fleur, although she was smiling, sitting with her daughter, Victoire Weasley, safely on her knees. The toddler, who was only two years old, was the first of the next generation of Weasleys, although given the part-Veela nature of her mother, it was likely she would exhibit signs of her ancestry soon. "You know 'Arry 'as always 'ad some trouble with arriving on time, unless zere was someone's life 'anging in ze balance."

"You wound me, Fleur."

It was lucky that she was holding her daughter, or the blonde would have sent her flying with the force of the sudden jump she made when a voice spoke from just behind her, surprising her and making her squeal in surprise as she whirled around to find herself facing the person they had been talking about seconds before.

Her first thought was to curse the snickering bastard for giving her such a fright, as the others began to realize that he had arrived, but before she could open her mouth, she _stared_ at the man she had called a "leetle boy" eight years prior.

She remembered the last time she had seen him, just after the Battle of Hogwarts, he had seemed so young, so lost and vulnerable, so _small_. The man currently grinning at her with a smile that would have made any virgin woman cream her panties was clearly no longer lost, not vulnerable, and certainly not _small_. Wearing simple clothes that managed to look as if he was wearing the finest robes available and with his hair kept in a long mane that made him look like some kind of wild rocker, Harry looked like a God in the flesh. He was also quite muscled now, given the way his shirt was straining over his torso, and even she, as a married woman, could not deny that he was devilishly handsome.

But more so than his appearance, it was his _power_ than shut her up. As a part-Veela, she was more attuned to her instincts and to sensing magic than any pureblooded human, and what she felt from her longtime friend was utterly _staggering_. It was like staring at an _ocean_ of power, something so vast you couldn't realize its' limits, and so deep you couldn't tell how deep it was. The man before her _dwarfed_ Voldemort and Dumbledore _put together,_ for shame! Could he even be called human at this point?

"Might want to close your mouth Fleur, you might catch flies if you keep it open like that," snickered George, Angelina rolling her eyes at her husband's antics.

"'ARRY!" shrieked Gabrielle, the sixteen-years old glomping the old wizard.

Far from the child she had been when he had saved her from the Black Lake, she was now a young woman, a magnificent one, as her part-Veela heritage gifted her good looks. It was no mystery among the Weasleys that she was planning to seduce her "Hero", and bets had been made on how long their friend would be able to resist before either turning her down or actually taking her up on her offer.

"Gabrielle? Wow, you've really grown!" smiled the green-eyed wizard, "I bet you have to chase off boys every day now with these looks! I hope your sister has taught you a few curses and hexes for that!"

The blonde smiled beautifully, before blinking as she stared at the two emotionless, black-haired young girls standing behind her crush. They were both dressed with strangely frilly clothes, and looked to be near emotionless, standing behind Harry and seemingly waiting for something. Her instincts were telling her to back away from these girls, for some reason she couldn't understand, as these girls looked harmless enough.

"'Arry, w'o are zey?" she asked, pointing at her crush's guests.

"I, am Ophis," stated the first one, seemingly bored, and a tad annoyed at the ambient noise if the slight glare she was giving them was any indication.

"Lilith, name, Lilith," stated the second, looking slightly shyer than the first, and standing closer to Harry.

"They're friends, good friends. By the way, Molly, Arthur, I am really sorry, but I have a lot of friends who wanted to meet everyone, and they wanted to know if they could join? They're bringing some additional food as courtesy."

"Oh, Harry dear, of course your friends are welcome!" beamed the Weasley Matriarch, before taking out her wand and waving it at the table, enlarging and lengthening it, "How many people are we expecting then?"

"Eleven people, counting Ophis and Lilith, although these two have eaten before coming, so just some cake and sweets should be enough."

"I, want cake."

"Lilith, cookies, wants."

"And Teddy and his babysitter are coming too," he added.

Far from being surprised at the number of additional guests, Mrs. Weasley just beamed at Harry, knowing that her honorary son likely had some history with them. She had always wanted him to have people there for him, ever since he had saved her only daughter by himself, and it seemed that she had gotten her wish. Even when he had left to fight Voldemort, it had been only him, her son and Hermione, and Ron had still abandoned them for a while.

"Just a fair warning though, they can be a bit… _strange_ , but they're good people. Just don't mind them too much, please…"

The assembled witches and wizards just shrugged. Most of them knew Luna Lovegood well enough to be used to her rather weird personality, so they should be able to overlook some strangeness from the friends of their shared friend/crush.

Well, that had been the overall consensus until nine people appeared out of a crimson circle of light, leaving them gaping at the fact that they had appeared directly inside the wards. The Burrow might have not been a manor, but Bill had made certain to ward the house of his parents to protect them during the war, and since he was an excellent curse-breaker, the protections surrounding it were top notch. And yet the newcomers had just casually disregarded them by appearing inside the perimeter of the wards, when it should have been impossible.

Then there was the fact that Harry's friends were _extremely_ peculiar. One was a beautiful young lady around Harry's age, with extremely large breasts and a figure that made Fleur, one of the most beautiful women those present knew, look average. With long crimson hair flowing down her back, as well as blue-green eyes, she was clad in a simple dress that drew attention to her curves, and had every male present staring, even if not voluntarily. All in all, she looked like a perfect young lady, with a countenance to make Purebloods proud.

With his arm hooked around the crimson-haired beauty's, a brown haired male was smiling as he openly stared at the displayed cleavage, an action that would have sent most of the females present in a rage, yet seemed to amuse the young woman as he grinned goofily. Yet despite how perverted the action seemed, it was clear as day for those who knew how to look, that he was very much in love with the redhead.

On the other side of the brown-haired pervert, stood a young woman with long golden locks framing her delicate face with a curtain of delicate, beautiful blonde hair, drawing attention to her deep green eyes and her soft smile as she hooked her arm around the man's. Clad in a nun's outfit, there was a gentleness to her countenance that made her seem like a kind older sister, and told anyone who looked at her that she would never hurt another living soul.

Next to the trio, a woman stood, a single green strand in her otherwise deep blue hair drawing attention to her rather stern, yet delicate face. She was clad in simple yet practical clothes, yet even the simple shirt and jeans she wore enhanced her rather stern beauty, showing a body that bore the results of regular and strenuous physical training.

Standing a few steps to the right of the blue-haired woman, was a young man with blonde hair, a kind smile on his face. He was actually quite handsome, with delicate traits that gave him a slightly effeminate look, but just enough so to make it look good. Similar to the blue-haired woman, he had a rather toned body, making a few of the females present look at him with interest, as most wizards rarely bothered to train their bodies.

A few steps away from the main group, another young woman stood, fidgeting slightly. With delicate features, pale blonde hair and pink-violet eyes, she was clad in a simple dress that accentuated her demure beauty.

With a hand on the fidgeting woman's shoulder, another woman stood, with long, silver hair and a delicate face. Clad in a business dress, she was giving her friend a soft, reassuring smile.

Yet, for how eye-catching the newcomers were, it was the two women currently making their way towards Harry that drew the attention the most.

The first was a young woman with a bust that could rival the redhead's, and made the women present wince in sympathy given how often she likely suffered from back pains due to their size. Her raven black hair was left free, falling fellow her waist in smooth black waves. She was clad in an Asian-looking dress that accented her great beauty, giving her an ethereal look that only enhanced her already incredibly good looks.

The other woman was also quite remarkable. She had long, pure white hair, and a delicate face, with very soft features. But what stood out the most about her were undoubtedly the twitching cat ears atop her head, as well as the twin white tails lazily flicking through the air and emerging from her clothes just above her waist. She was wearing the same Asian-looking dress than the raven-haired beauty, although where her friend's was a deep purple with floral motives, her own was a dazzling white with black linings.

"Blimey," whispered Ron in the sudden silence, "Where did he find them? In a Veela colony?"

The silence only grew more strained as the white-haired, cat-eared woman gave Harry a loving peck on the lips, followed by her raven-haired friend not ten seconds later, which prompted Hermione and Molly Weasley to erupt, while Ginny and Gabrielle could only look in shock at the man they loved, who had gotten kisses from women who completely outstripped them in the looks department.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" came the twin shrieks, making all the new arrivals wince simultaneously as they put their hands on their ears.

"What is this behavior? I thought better of you, young man!" started Molly, whereas Hermione was fingering her wand and glaring at her first friend, "I thought you would be better behaved that chasing skirts when you had Ginny, but obviously you were too busy gallivanting with some hussies to-"

"Molly," started Harry, in a very polite, but very dangerous voice, "It would be best if you stopped that rant _right_ now, before you say something that might make me reconsider attending this admittedly lovely family reunion. Also, I highly suggest you apologize, as you have absolutely _no idea_ of who you just called "hussies", and I would appreciate if you could, for once, engage your brain before insulting people I care about."

His words seemed to rattle the redheaded matriarch for a moment, before she started swelling on herself, undoubtedly preparing to deliver one of her infamous shrieking rants, but she was fortunately stopped by her husband, who had put his hand on her shoulder and was giving his wife a hard look. It was in moments like these that the Weasleys were reminded that for all of Molly's infamous temper, Arthur could quell any of her rants or explosions of anger with but a look, and that the usually kind and slightly goofy male was only a part of Arthur Weasley, one that did not make him any less of a wizard.

While Molly was silenced, however, Hermione was not, and she proceeded to make her thoughts known to her friend, who was simply smirking at her, obviously having known that she would explode for a while.

"Harry, what is the meaning of this?! Why did they kiss you? Are you in relationship with both of them? How can you be so sexist, dating two women at once? Don't you have any regard for their feelings? Well, I'm waiting!"

However, before her friend could say anything, he was interrupted by the cat-eared woman, who was giving her a hard glare, one that would make any grown man quiver in fear, as she raised her hand, showing a magnificent ring.

"We aren't _dating_ ," she said, her soft voice carrying over the whole area, "we are _married_. I am his _wife_."

Her action was mimicked by the raven-haired beauty, who showed her own ring, a beautiful thing made of a silvery metal with glowing amethysts embedded into it.

"Ufufufu…And I'm his mistress!" smiled the young woman, squeezing Harry's arm between her breasts, earning herself an exasperated glare from the white-haired woman.

By now everyone was gaping at the trio, the men in disbelief at the fact that their school friend had managed to secure _two_ incredibly beautiful women, especially considering that they seemed perfectly fine with sharing, given the way they were acting. There was also some hurt on their part, as the fact _was_ that they had not been aware that Harry had been married, while they felt that they could have at least been made aware of it, or in one case, invited to the wedding.

The women, for their part, were more divided. In a few cases, they were happy to see the young man so obviously happy, considering his early life he certainly deserved some happiness of his own, some were jealous, and quite a few were feeling rather indignant at the casual way the two women were treating the whole thing, as well as towards Harry for having two women when such behavior was to be expected from womanizers and not someone as noble as the young man.

Before either Hermione or Molly could begin another rant, the raven-haired wizard cut them off, looking more amused than anything.

"Look, before starting asking questions, maybe you could let everyone introduce themselves? It'll make things easier, at least."

 **-Break-**

Introductions had been rather tense, what with four of the people present glaring at him and the women he was in a relationship with. Granted, he had more or less expected that, since Molly had always been _far_ too much of a busybody for her own good, while Hermione was _very_ opinionated and hardheaded, one only had to look as far as SPEW for that. Trying to free House Elves when they didn't even _want_ to be freed, and later on trying to _trick_ them into being free, was just an example of how much his friend was persuaded to know better.

The cold glares from Ginny and Gabrielle were also something he expected, what with both having made their infatuation with him more than clear, although he personally believed that the French part-Veela was the only one of the two in love with him, while Ginny was more of a case of obsession and hero-worship worsened by Molly's attempts to set them together.

Fortunately, the introductions seemed to lessen the ambient hostility…well until it was Shirone and Akeno's turn to introduce themselves. When Shirone had introduced herself as his wife, there had been a rather easy to anticipate explosion from Ron, who had shouted at him that he was his "best mate" and that he should have been invited to the wedding. He was actually beginning to realize that during all the years he had spent with them, that he had been so desperate for acceptance that he _might_ have overlooked quite a few defaults on their part. Then again, neither Ron nor Hermione were bad people, they just had rather obvious faults that needed correcting, something he would hopefully be able to do before they were too set in their ways to change.

The fact that both his wife and, as Akeno had put it, his "mistress", were perfectly aware that he was seeing both, and alright with it, didn't seem to get them any points from either Molly or Hermione, while he had the clear impression that Ron was jealous. Well, more than an impression, since Senjutsu allowed him to sense the emotions of those around him, and Ron clearly _was_ jealous, all but broadcasting it. Then again jealousy had always been the redhead's problem, he just never seemed to see how much he had and to only focus on what _Harry_ had.

At least, Neville, Hannah and Luna seemed fine with his friends, although the blonde was staring at his wife intently, no doubt very curious about her feline features. He certainly wouldn't mind if the blonde wished to interview her, as he knew that despite her apparent strangeness, Luna was probably the nicest person, bar Asia, whom he knew.

"Excuse me?" asked Fleur, bringing him back to reality, as well as drawing the attention of all those present, as her tone was very, _very_ cautious, and she had shifted her body to hide Victoire from their sight, making a barrier of her body, "Zis may seem rude, but _w'at_ are you? I can feel ze power coming from each of you, and it dwarfs even Dumbleedore at 'is best."

"They're Devils," came the voice of Nyx, the Goddess walking up to the group with Teddy and Andromeda in tow, "Well, aside from Harry, Ophis and Lilith, at least."

"Who are you?" blurted Ron, whose eyes were glued to the Goddess, as well as the rather revealing clothing she wore. The fact that she also looked like Harry's female twin wasn't lost on the wizards and witches present either, as they looked between him and Nyx curiously.

"Me? Just Teddy's babysitter," smiled the Goddess, as she ruffled the boy's hair, making him shriek with laughter.

"And a very reliable one, too," added Andromeda, who smiled at Harry, "Teddy _adores_ her, and she takes care of him like she was his mother!"

"Could we get back to the matter at hand?" asked Hermione, who was looking at the assembled Devils warily, "You said they are Devils? Like the Devils in the Bible?"

"Yes, although only Rias was born a Devil. All the others were reincarnated into Devils later on," absently said Nyx, who was playing with Teddy, rather uncaring of the apparent tension. Then again, it was the wizards and witches present who were the most in danger if a fight broke out, as they were _far_ too weak to pose a threat to any of them, bar using the Killling Curse.

"Blimey, Harry, you're going Dark!" accused Ron, pointing a trembling wand at the former wizard, making everyone tense, "You're friends with Devils! You're evil! Did you come back to take your revenge?! That's it, isn't it?!"

" _Silence_."

All of a sudden, everyone felt an absolutely _ludicrous_ amount of power pressing down on them, although neither the Occult Research Club, nor Nyx and Teddy were affected, though in the latter's case, it was because she had flared her own aura to protect the young boy. Ophis was staring at the youngest male Weasley with irritation, which was a testament to how pissed off she was for she rarely ever showed any emotion.

"You, are loud. I, want to enjoy my meal, so, stay silent. Or, I will kill you," stated the Dragon God, who was eating the treats that had been put on the table.

The threat seemed to work, as the redhead had paled dramatically, his complexion looking like expired milk. The others had various reactions, although the most severe were from Fleur, Gabrielle and Victoire, the two elder part-Veela looking moments away from soiling themselves, while the toddler had begun crying, drawing another glare from Ophis, although the Dragon God seemed to refrain from snapping at the baby, instead looking at Harry, who, upon understanding what she wanted, quickly cast a silence bubble around her, drawing a very small and grateful smile from her.

"Riiiight…"sighed Harry, before giving a glare to his former best friend, "Perhaps I should make a few things clear, first. Devils nowadays are a lot like human people, and, in my humble opinion, they are still better than your average wizard or witch. At least they keep up with the times, and outside from the older ones who seem to share a lot of characteristics with some Purebloods, they are rather nice.

Also, unlike what you seem to think, they aren't _evil_. Hell, we meet rather regularly with the archangel Gabriel and from time to time with Michael himself, and they're friends. Look, Issei has Irina, who is a Reincarnated Angel, as part of his harem, and she hasn't Fallen yet."

Had the situation not been so tense, Harry would have laughed at the looks he was getting from the assembled Weasleys and company, who were looking at him like he was insane, although given what he had just said it wasn't too surprising. Telling them that Devils, who were known as the archenemies of God and his Angels, could be friend with said Angels, was not something anyone not in the know already would believe without proof.

"Look, even if you think I'm lying, it isn't going to change the fact that you're not even _trying_ to get to know my friends, so at least try talking to them a bit before being judgmental. And before you say anything about them tricking me or some shit of the same kind, I've known them for four years, and in that time, we've fought people who would have made Voldemort look like an errant toddler with a temper problem. Do _not_ make me choose between them and you, because I can assure you, even it would be hard on me, I'd choose them over you."

"But we've fought together! We're your friends!" cried out Hermione, who was giving the Devils a suspicious glare.

"And they're my friends too, Hermione. Well, outside of Shirone, who is my wife, and whom I thank every known deity for putting her in my life, and Akeno, who's my mistress, and whom I love dearly too. So, remember that before trying to make me choose."

"Harry, if it's too much trouble, we can leave," offered Rias, who looked genuinely concerned for the green-eyed man.

Their relationship was much better now than it had been at first, since they had been in enough life or death situations to get out any anger they had towards the other. That, and both of them had matured, Rias growing into a more confident and nice young woman, while Harry's temper had mellowed, meaning that he was less likely to explode like he had been prone to do when he'd just met her.

"No, don't. It shouldn't matter that you are Devils any more than if you were Mundanes, Muggleborns, or any other race or blood status! The _only thing_ that should matter is that you are good people, regardless of your species!" growled Harry, looking quite disappointed with his old friends, "If they can't understand that, then I'm afraid that we have nothing to say to each other."

His glare was enough of a warning.

"Well, if they're your friends, Harrykins, then must have a lot of embarrassing stories about you, then," grinned George, trying to defuse the tension. "Anything worth talking about?"

"You have no idea," grinned back Kiba. "There was that one time he woke up with his face in Gabriel-sama's cleavage after a celebration…"

"KIBA! I thought we had agreed that it was an accident!" scowled Harry, his face red and glancing nervously at his wife.

"Well, for an accident, you certainly seemed to enjoy it, Harry" grinned Rias.

"Oh, so that's how it is, then? Well, Kiba, how about that time you walked in on Tsubaki and Sona in their underwear and taking measures for their gowns? Or you, Rias, the time Millicas asked you if you were an exhibitionist in the middle of a crowded café?"

"HARRY!" came the indignant twin cries.

"Hey, you started it. Don't dish out if you can't take your own medicine, amateurs."

By the end of the exchange, the atmosphere had relaxed, the wizards still a bit tentative about their guests, but a bit mollified by their behavior. It was also becoming clear that these Devils were very close to Harry, enough so to joke with him and act like a pseudo-family. The atmosphere was further relaxed when Luna walked over and began asking questions to Shirone and Akeno about supernatural creatures, the three women sitting down and beginning a passionate conversation about beings than most present had never heard about.

 **-Break-**

The end of the meal saw every wizard and witch present talking at least once to the Devils, although in some cases, like Ron, Hermione or Molly, it was with the caution of someone talking to a dangerous and rabid being. Still, Harry was not about to comment, since all three of them were those he had expected to be the least understanding for various reasons. Percy, for his part, had been rather silent during the meal, speaking only once or twice about his work at the Ministry, and then spending the remainder of the time deep in thought or glancing at the Devils and Harry.

He didn't really mind, though he hoped the redhead wasn't going to make a stupid mistake like reporting the existence of Devils to the Ministry. No matter how much he had grown from the brown-nosing idiot who had believed the Ministry over his family, he was still very much a sticker to the rules, and someone with very set ideas of right and wrong. If he believed it was for the best to see them either eliminated or studied, he would undoubtedly report them, friends of the Man-Who-Conquered or not.

Still, he got a bit of a laugh when Hermione was told that THE Gabriel, the Archangel, was fond of him and usually smothered him in her cleavage like a child whenever they met. While it was slightly irritating, it was also nice, something that made him feel like a child hugging his mother, a warm and safe feeling that he rather liked. His friend looked like she had trouble believing that someone as famous as the Strongest Woman in Heaven (even if she didn't know Gabriel under that title) could be an unrivaled, airheaded beauty with no clue about matters related to sex. Granted, he too had had a bit of trouble believing it when he had seen it for the first time. A stunningly beautiful woman worrying over males passing out of blood loss due to her choice of clothing with no clue it was her fault they had nosebleeds in the first place was a bit much to process.

He sighed a bit when he looked over those present. It was blatantly obvious that outside of a few of them, most of the wizards and witches present were leery of his Devil friends. For all their talk of being Light and good, the Weasleys had bred some of the most hard-headed and distrusting individuals he knew. Ron and Molly were particularly bad, as his friend had always been firmly against anything "Dark", Devils included, and Molly was much the same. He highly doubted that before they left, the two wouldn't take him aside to ask him if he was being influenced or coerced in any way. They weren't bad, but they were just too used to define things with labels, instead of seeing that nothing was entirely black or white.

Still, he smiled as he watched Luna discuss things with Asia, the two blondes having made a fast friend in the other, or Rossweiss having a talk with Hermione about Devil laws and, of all things, insurance and health advantages. Arthur was in deep conversation with Rias, the man animatedly asking questions about things like plugs, computers, and making amazed sounds whenever the redhead answered him. At least not all of them were sticking to labels, and were willing to open up to the Devils.

He even laughed a bit when Gabrielle had been told that as Devils, polygamy was almost a requirement. The subsequent discussion with his wife had been hushed, and he had no idea of what kind of deal they had made, but he was willing to bet that the part-Veela was going to go through a long screening process before his wife even agreed to let her join them. Shirone was _very_ possessive of him, the only reason she had even agreed to share him with Akeno was that the two of them were sisters in all but blood and knew each other well. Gabrielle had none of this for her. Still, the looks she was giving him now told him that there was very little she wouldn't do to get in his pants, so he braced himself with the knowledge that in a few years he might get another addition to his family.

 **-Break-**

It was when the time for the dessert arrived that things took a rather unpleasant turn. As Molly had set down the cakes she had made, and that Rias had summoned the few she had prepared from the Underworld, the sound of glass breaking echoed, signaling that the wartime wards that Bill had placed around the Burrow had been destroyed. Almost immediately, black-clad figures Apparated around the group, summoning wands left and right, until none of them had them left. Amongst the chaos, the Occult Research Club members hardly acted, most of them having already evaluated the level of threat of their assailants and found them lacking. Ophis and Lilith were too busy enjoying the cakes that everyone seemed to ignore given the situation to even care, although Lilith's eyes darted to Harry briefly.

No matter how powerful she was, Lilith was still very young, and while she was slowly growing, she was still quite impressionable, a young child in everything but power. Harry was the one person outside of Ophis, whom she had been created from, that she trusted, due to the fact that he had always been very gentle around her. Given the fact that he was also relatively powerful, at least compared to most beings, meant that she could, at the very least, consider him a parental figure. Even if those who were currently disturbing their meal were wizards, and as such barely more than ants compared to her, Lilith tended to shy away from people who exhibited too much anger, but once Harry gave her a subtle shake of the head, she returned to eating the cake, knowing that he'd protect her if the need arose.

"Well, well, well…It seems Dark Lord Potter graces us with his presence…" remarked one of the Death Eaters-for they were clearly remnants of Voldemort's forces, with the holier-than-thou attitude, and choice of attire, "It has been a while, Potter…"

"Sorry, I can't remember you, I'm afraid. Mask-wearing maniacs tended to be a dime a dozen the last time I was around, so you'll forgive me for not remembering every Pureblood idiot who thought they could change the world," remarked Harry, sipping on his drink.

"Ooh, it seems that you have a mouth on you, Potter…" smirked the man, before gesturing to Shirone, "And you even brought a sub-human freak with you. Clearly, _Dark Lord_ Potter has been consorting with the wrong people…Though I'll admit that at least they look nice. In fact, I dare say that when we're done with you, I just might keep her to myself…"

The dramatic effect of the leader of the Death Eaters was hoping to achieve was ruined when Issei burst out laughing, smacking the table with his hand, the other ORC members either chuckling on their own or scowling at the intruders with unamused frowns. In their years of fighting, they had seen their fair share of dramatic villain figures, and the Death Eater was sorely lacking compared to them. After all, after facing against people like Rivezim Lucifer, who had a lot of dramatic flair and the power to wipe out _countries_ by themselves, it was hard to take someone who had to rely on a wooden stick to cast anything, dangerous, or intimidating.

"Pffffftt…He's like…*snicker*…he's like a bad movie villain…*snicker*…" chuckled the pervert, wiping a tear from his eye as he tried to repress his chuckles.

"True," smiled Rias, looking rather unimpressed with the robed Death Eaters around them, "Rivezim was much more intimidating, and at least he had the power to back up his threats. But I see that Harry wasn't joking when he said that Death Eaters are weak bullies with an overinflated ego."

A few of the Death Eaters bristled at that, looking moments away from using the _Cruciatus_ on the redhead, if only to wipe the judging smile she bore off her lips. It appeared, however, that their leader had at least a better head on his shoulder than them, as he raised his hand to stop his subordinates from acting rashly, instead looking at the Gremory Heiress with interest.

"Well, well, that is quite the mouth you have on you, _girl_ , but you should really learn to respect your betters. Who knows what might happen to you otherwise? It would be such a _shame_ if you happened to be locked with a randy werewolf. I hear that the girls who experience that find the experience _deathly_ enjoyable."

"…Wow, you really suck at making threats," remarked Issei, who looked nonplussed, "You know, if you wanted to be threatening, you should at least threaten her family and friends instead of just her."

"True. And dress better, too. The whole "robe and skeleton mask" thing makes you look like some kind of pedophiliac cultist," added Kiba, the blonde smiling pleasantly.

"Insolent _brats_!" growled the leader, who apparently, had reached the end of his patience, "We'll see how well you mouth off once we're done with you! _Crucio_!"

He was rather surprised when his wand, which he had pointed at Rias, literally _disintegrated_ in his hand, leaving not even ashes behind, while the redhead gave him a polite, but dangerous, smile. The poor man couldn't have known that Rias, after all their adventures, could use her Power of Destruction so well that she could do a lot more than merely blast her enemies with it. This particular application was quite simple, as it only required her to create a tiny amount of it next to the wand, destroying it without a need for needless dramatics.

The other Death Eaters, once they recovered from their shock, soon found themselves trying to cast their own spells, only to fail rather spectacularly. Some saw their wands snapping in two, others blinked as they found themselves clutching naught but empty air as their wands were twirled around by slender fingers, and yet others found themselves writhing on the ground, suffering from spasms. And for all that, not once did the ORC members seem to move, instead calmly continuing their meals, drinking, or staring at the intruders with amusement.

"Is there a problem?" smiled Akeno, her hand demurely on her cheek as she cocked her head to the side, eyes closed. For some reason that they couldn't fathom, Harry's human friends felt a shiver travel down their spine at the sight. It was like watching a predator licking its' claws before pouncing on a particularly juicy prey, and that was just _wrong_ coming from a woman of such exceptional beauty.

The fact that all the ORC members suddenly found themselves several feet away from where they had been sitting, forming a loose circle _behind_ the pleasantly smiling woman, was also a rather telling sign that _something_ was about to happen.

"Why you little…!" growled the leader, another wand sliding in his hand, only to fall down with a cry as he was struck by lightning. Repeatedly. Lightning which for some reason, seemed to be targeting his crotch, drawing shrill screams of pain from the wizard, while Akeno just watched with a smile on her face as he rolled around, howling his mouth off.

"Ufufufu…Naughty boys must be _punished_!" smiled the young woman, whose smile had turned sadistic as the other Death Eaters found themselves in the same situation as their leader, "With Harry I have to be the M, but he told me that I can be as S as I want with people like you…Hora, hora!"

"S? M?" cautiously inquired Fleur, who was looking at the screaming terrorists with something approaching bemusement.

"Akeno is _really_ into S &M, but I'm not too fond of being punished, so I let her take it out on morons like them. She's a S through and through in those cases."

"S?"

"It stands for sadist. I think even Bellatrix would take lessons from her if she could. You have _no idea_ how much she likes playing with people."

A particularly shrill scream accompanied by a chuckle from the raven-haired beauty only proved his point further.

Eventually, all the Death Eaters were left smoking, unconscious heaps, the few who had had the intelligence to try and flee realizing that they couldn't Apparate and swiftly dealt with by Shirone, whose punches seemed to carry the weight of a truck. The Weasleys and their guests could only widen their eyes when a single punch from the cat-eared beauty launched the Death Eaters harder than if they had been hit with an overpowered Blasting Curse. It quite certainly put into perspective how powerful they were, even more so when they hadn't used any wand or visible foci.

With a snap of Harry's fingers, the intruders' bodies disappeared. Seeing the questioning looks sent his way, he just shrugged:

"I sent them to Sirzechs with a note about the threats made to Rias."

At that, the ORC members paled a bit, while the humans present looked on, unsure of what to make of the rather peculiar reaction. They couldn't know how much of a sister-complex the current Lucifer had, or just how cruel and downright _evil_ he could become when it involved Rias' wellbeing. Voldemort wouldn't hold a candle to what a pissed off SIrzechs would do to the Death Eaters, and they were quite aware that they were as good as dead. They would simply be suffering exceedingly long before being granted the sweet released of death.

"Now wait a moment, Harry."

He was honestly surprised to see Percy stand up, a scowl on his face. Given how silent he had been so far, he had supposed that the rules-loving redhead would have stayed silent for the entirety of the meal, but apparently he had been wrong.

"Yeah, what is it, Percy?"

He had an inkling as to what it was, but he wanted to confirm it.

"You can't just deal with Death Eaters like that! Even if they are terrorists, they _must_ have a trial, it's the law, and a basic right, even for scum like them."

"Unfortunately, Percy, they don't deserve one, and quite frankly, I'm doing the Ministry a favor by sending them directly to Sirzechs. You have no clue about who I am talking about, are you?" he asked.

If they had handed the Death Eaters over to the Ministry, not only would they undoubtedly learn that he had been back in England, thus making it that more likely that attacks on his friends might happen, Sirzechs would learn of their threats to Rias sooner or later, and take matters in his own hands. And it would quickly become a mess if he stormed Azkaban to retrieve the Death Eaters, as the Ministry would never allow such a thing to happen without retaliating. Given the difference in power, it would end in a bloodbath, and with the Ministry getting into trouble they weren't anywhere near ready to deal with.

Pinching his nose, he looked at the redhead.

"Listen, and listen _well_. Rias' brother is Sirzechs _Lucifer_ , the current leader of the Devils. He is _very_ overprotective of Rias, and usually deals with anyone who threatens her _very_ harshly. Do you think the Ministry would take well to have a single man storm Azkaban, break out the Death Eaters and take them with him to deal their punishment himself? Because that is what _will_ happen if we hand them over to the Ministry instead of Sirzechs.

And before you say that he can't do that, he can and he _will_. He had fought _Gods_ , Percy. _Gods_. _And he won._ Trust me, you _don't_ want to piss him off."

He shivered. He had seen only a tiny bit of the man's power, and it was terrifying all the same, even for him. Even Nyx herself, who wasn't the most restrained individual, knew it was a bad idea to piss Sirzechs off. As much as he acted as a goofball, he was very much someone you didn't want to face in a fight.

Shaking his head, he focused his attention on the other matter at hand. Namely, the fact that the wards surrounding the Burrow had been destroyed. Waving his hand, he focused his power and begun putting them back up. While he was not as good as Bill when it came to wards, he had had time to study wards and barriers, enough so to create combinations of the two that should be able to resist any attempt of a normal wizard or witch to take down.

While he did so, he could see Rias explaining in detail why what he had said was true. While she seemed a bit put off by how Percy was acting, showing unwavering confidence in the law, she did her best to impress upon him, and Hermione, who had joined the conversation, the importance of letting them do things _their_ way. The blast of Power of Destruction that _vaporized_ a large boulder apparently helped tremendously the pair to understand that they could argue however much they wished, they weren't those who controlled the situation.

 **-Break-**

Eventually, the time for them to leave arrived. As he had expected, Hermione, thinking she was subtle, asked him if he could help bring the dishes to the kitchen, and had cornered him in said kitchen, along with Molly and Ginny. The three witches were now waving their wands, casting a flurry of diagnostic spells in the hopes of finding any kind of tampering with his mind, since it was _obvious_ that his Devils friends had done something to him. Harry Potter was _not_ Dark, therefore to associate with Devils he had to have been influenced in some ways.

Of course, they weren't really wrong, just not in the way they thought. Rias didn't need any kind of complicated spell, or potion, or whatever to have him hang out with them, he did so for the simple reason that he loved Shirone and, to a lesser extent, Akeno, and wanted them to be happy. The fact that he got along well with the other members of Rias' Peerage also meant that he fully intended to keep seeing them, no matter how much the three witches would like him not to.

"Nothing…He's clean," mumbled Hermione, looking rather sour.

"Harry dear, did they give you something to drink when you met them?" tried Molly, only to have him glare at her. While at first it had been slightly amusing to see them fumble around with wrong assumptions, it was starting to grate on his nerves.

He knew Hermione was only doing this because she wanted to protect him, no matter how much he didn't _need_ protecting anymore, and he was willing to forgive her, since it was only her deep-rooted belief in what she read that made her distrust Devils. Molly and Ginny on the other hand, well the first was far too overbearing for his tastes, especially given that she had made not so subtle hints that he should marry Ginny during the meal, while Ginny herself was simply a star struck fangirl who wanted him for herself.

"For the last time, Mrs. Weasley, _no_ , they didn't give me anything strange to drink. I am not under influence of any potions, or any spells, or any kind of ability. I hang out with Rias because she is my _friend_ , and Shirone is my _wife_. Is it so hard to believe that they are nice people?"

"But Harry, Devils-"

"Can be nice people, Hermione. Not all of them are, of course, but you don't have to make it a rule of thumb that _every_ Devil is a fiendish beast out for souls. Heck, Devils nowadays don't even take souls any more. So now, can we _please_ go back out? They've likely heard this whole conversation, and while most of them are patient, I doubt Shirone took the fact that you're trying to set me up with Ginny very well, Molly. Just be glad that she understands I don't want her to hurt you, otherwise you'd be in for a good dose of Skele-gro," he groaned.

Indeed, Shirone was _quite_ angry. Given the way she was glaring at the three witches, as well as how her tails were puffed out, she was more than a little displeased with them, which was not really unexpected. As soon as he was next to her, she latched on his arm, her eyes staring unblinkingly at Ginny, as if to challenge her. He was quite certain that as soon as they were home, he would end up dragged to bed for a round of "claiming" sex, a way for Shirone to make sure that he was marked as _hers_ , and that she was the only one allowed to decide if another woman got to bed him.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you all," smiled Rias, giving a polite bow to the assembled people, followed by the other members of her Peerage, "I hope we will see each other more often now that Harry has reconnected with all of you. If you want to contact us, feel free to do so, we'll be happy to hear from you."

With a wave of her hand, they were gone. Among the assembled people, a small blonde smiled. Apparently, she might be Angel material, or so Rias had said. She wondered if they had Crumple-horned Snorcacks in Heaven…

* * *

 **AN:**

 **YOU ARE BASHING THE WEASLEYS AND HERMIONE!  
**

 **Actually, I wouldn't call it bashing. In canon, Ron was very clearly "Anti-Dark", and in his mind, as well Hermione's and most of the Weasley's, Devils are the Ultimate Evil, so it isn't such a stretch that Ron, who was never the cleverest guy, thought Harry had gone Dark. It also explains why Hermione and some of the Weasleys have trouble trusting the Devils, as they trust their convictions more than Harry's judgement. Most of the Weasleys (ie George, Bill and Arthur) have no problems with the Devils.**

 **ADDING GABRIELLE TO THE MIX? YOU'RE MAKING THIS A HAREM!**

 **No, I am not. Gabrielle would have to go through Shirone's screening before being allowed anywhere near Harry, and it would take a loooooong time before she is trusted as much as Akeno. Shirone only allowed Akeno to be with Harry because she trusts her, and sees her as something of an older sibling, she wouldn't allow any other girl to join in their relation just like that. And Devils encourage Harems anyway.**

 **NO FLASHY POWERS? AAAWWW!**

 **Given that this omake happens about four years after canon, I think that it is reasonable to say that the ORC members have gotten quite good at using their powers without wasting them. Why would Rias have to bother blasting the Death Eaters when she could simply humiliate them and have them sent to Sirzechs, who'd make them regret their words VERY thoroughly.**

 **YOU'RE EXAGGERATING HERMIONE,MOLLY AND GINNY'S REACTIONS!**

 **Am I? Hermione is notoriously hard-headed, and it would take much more than Harry's words to convince her that she is wrong. As for Molly and Ginny, both are stubborn to a fault, not to mention dead-set on having Harry marry Ginny, so it shouldn't come to a surprise that they'd be looking for anything that would allow them to do just that.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism are welcome! Flames will be ignored.**


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